


Mrs. Jensen

by heatherlynn22



Category: Jake Jensen - Fandom, The Losers (2010), The Losers (Comic), The Losers - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Friendship/Love, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-12-13 10:56:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 65,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11758371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heatherlynn22/pseuds/heatherlynn22
Summary: Jensen has been happily dating Clay’s little sister, Quinn, for almost a year now and is totally stoked to be moving in with her and her two kids. Things couldn’t be better, yet Jensen can’t help but think how cool it would be to get hitched one day. Will an unfortunate disaster help change Quinn’s mind on marriage?





	1. "History"

“You really know how to wear the hell outta a pair of shorts, Quinn. God Damn woman!”

Today was officially moving day and Quinn was bent over in Jensen’s kitchen, double checking the boxes of kitchenwares he was donating to GoodWill and was quickly reaching the limit on her patience. 

“Come on, Jensen. Cut that shit out! Can’t you see I’m not in the mood for any of your cute crap right now!” she huffed.

She still hadn’t found what she was looking for and wasn’t going to let her boyfriend's adorable playfulness break her resolve. Quinn was on a mission.

"Why don’t you go objectify a box or two, huh?” she called out into the living room. “Some of us are busy working,” she mumbled under her breath.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that Jensen was trying to keep a straight face and, as cute as he was, she figured he wasn’t taking her seriously at all.

“What are you smiling at?”

“ _Objectify a box._ ” Jensen repeated to the tv with laughter in his voice. “Don’t mind if I do, dirty girl. Let’s get naked, QBall. I’ll objectify your-”

“Oh for fucks sake!” Quinn tried to keep from laughing herself but it was hard.

She'd walked right into that one and kicked herself for not seeing it coming. Jensen was so cute, she’d love to take a break and play with him, but there was still so much to get finished first.

Jensen was finally getting his condo on the market and moving in with her and the boys. The two of them had been organizing and cleaning his his place for nearly three hours and, so far, it seemed like all of Jensen’s worldly possessions were either in the donate pile or were headed to the dump. It was driving Quinn crazy.

Correction. Quinn was the one trying to organize his condo. Jensen was having a great time chilling on his old couch watching tv without a care in the world. The only help he offered came in the form of complimenting her on how great her ass looked in his favorite daisy duke shorts every time she passed by him and calling the junk removal place before they even taken a survey of his stuff.

Quinn was undeterred by his playfully catcalling and could smell something fishy going on. She was convinced that Jensen was either throwing away everything he owned out of laziness, or worse, out of fear that his possessions were going to inconvenience her somehow. She couldn’t let that happen, she knew that he would regret it one day.

As much as she appreciated his chill, no fuss attitude, she wasn't leaving his condo until she found something sentimental of his to bring back with them. The clock was ticking though, the whole team was coming by their condo for dinner later that night so they could break the news that Jensen was officially moving in with Quinn and the boys.

She suspected that Jensen had already spilled the beans to Cougar and Pooch. But she had Clay to contend with. Quinn hoped that a good meal might soften her big brother up a bit. But she couldn’t worry about him now, she had to worry about Jensen’s condo first.

“You’re even hotter when you’re pissed off, you know that?” Jensen chuckled from the sofa and took a long pull from his beer.

Jensen just wanted to get this whole move over with, he had no idea what her problem was. He was only moving next door into her unit. Falling for the girl next door definitely had it’s advantages. To him, this was the easiest move in history.

This had been the first time he’d set foot in his place in months. He’d been staying with Quinn and her two boys while also paying for a condo that he hadn't used for the better part of a year. Quinn had been pretty gun shy and had, understandably, needed some time to get cool with the idea of him moving in her and her two kids permanently.

It had been a rough wait, considering he had been ready to marry that girl since they'd first gotten together. Quinn was a no brainer. He'd hit the lottery when he'd met her and, surprisingly, had no second thoughts about spending his life with her and being a stepdad to her two awesome kids. But Jensen understood her history and the issues that came along with it. He, reluctantly, had to learn the definition of patience.

Patience was a lesson that Jensen definitely needed to learn if he was going to date Clay’s little sister. Quinn and the Colonel seemed to share the same stubbornness at times. When the two of them got an idea in their heads, it takes an act of god to change their minds. Jensen figured it must run in their family. He'd once suggested to Mallory that the two of them should start a support group for Clay family significant others. Mallory had found it funny, Clay on the other hand had not.

When it came to Clay, Jensen had to admit that his boss’s bullheadedness had come in handy during certain missions, but, for the most part, it served to mainly intimidate him and the rest of the team. On the other hand, with Quinn, her stubbornness was adorable at times and just added to her charm. She wasn’t nearly as bad as her brother though, but the family resemblance was still there.

Jensen had decided a long time ago that Quinn and her two kids were worth the wait she put him through; not to mention all the extra grief that he got from Clay. Quinn always meant well and there weren’t many hoops that Jensen wouldn’t jump through for that girl.

She needed to chill though. Everything that mattered to him had already made it’s way to her place at some point over the past year. Correction. Made it’s way to _their_ place. It gave Jensen a warm fuzzy feeling every time he referred to their condo that way. He’s never had so much fun formally changing his address before. His home was wherever Quinn, Cooper and Jackson were.

But all of that didn’t stop her from rummaging through his kitchen looking for something to salvage to pack up and bring home with them.

“Stop smiling, damn it! There has to be _something_ that we need to bring home.”

“Not really, I brought a box home yesterday. It’s in our closet. But if you see anything you like, you can have it. What’s mine is yours, QBall.”

Quinn rolled her eyes and kept searching through his kitchen cupboards. He could use all the cute pet names he wanted, she wasn’t going down without a fight. That box he'd brought home was barely bigger than a shoebox. There had to be more stuff laying around here somewhere.

Jensen puffed out a laugh and turned the television off. He sensed that she was about to blow for some reason and he figured him watching tv and not helping her pack up his non-existent stuff might be setting her off.

“This tv is going too, by the way. Cougar is gunna take it home with him after dinner tonight.” he plainly informed her.

“Jensen!” Quinn growled his name through her teeth and stomped her foot on the ground out of frustration.

 _“Whaaaat?”_ he jumped, startled, albite a little amused, by her outburst. “Your flatscreen in newer and bigger. Tv size is only one of maybe two times where size actually matters, babe,” he teased with a chuckle. “Get it?...the first being...”

“Dude, I get it. You have a big dick. Now stop being one.”

Jensen stopped laughing when she didn’t find his jokes as funny as he did and let out a heavy sigh.

“Dude, lighten up. Coug needs a tv for his mom. Do you really want this old thing?” he asked. “Where the hell would we even put it?”

He tried not to smile at how cute Quinn looked pouting in his small kitchen, but she looked just as adorable one of his stepkids do when they're upset.  

“We don’t need it, babe.” Jensen softly tried to explain. “We have that kick ass big one in the living room and even the smaller one in our bedroom is more tricked out than this one is. This one has always been an embarrassment to the Jensen name. Army salary, remember?”

She still looked disappointed and Jensen hated it when Quinn was upset.

“I guess we could put it in the boy's room,” he considered. “But I thought we decided that they were too young for their own tv?”

Jensen sensed that there was something more bothering her, it was not like her to care that much about material stuff. Besides, Quinn loved Cougar's mom to death and would give her the shirt off her back. But there she was, as cute and as feisty as ever, ready to fight to the death for his old TV.

“Come on, Mama Bear, you know that all the cubs would do is hibernate in their room and we’d never see them again,” Jensen joked, trying to lighten her up.

He found it encouraging when the corner of her mouth twitched slightly and she pressed her lips together. His little badass was trying not to laugh, man did he ever love that girl. She looked away to try and hide the twinkle in her eye, but it was too late. Jensen was on to her and knew that he winning her over.

“If it means that much to you,” he continued. “I guess we could just slide some food under their door while they binge watch SpongeBob for weeks.”

“While we’re at it, why don’t we put them on that all sugar diet they’ve been pushing for?” Quinn sarcastically volleyed back.

“Ok. Give Cougar the tv,” she finally sighed in defeat. “I’d miss my kids too much and Maria loves her Price is Right.”

Giving away a tv wasn’t the end of the world and Jensen’s heart was in the right place, but she was still annoyed and chewed on the inside of her cheek. He seemed to be getting rid of everything and it didn’t sit right with her.

Jensen had to have some meaningful “guy junk” laying around here somewhere and Quinn intended to find it.

She hoped that Jensen wasn’t giving away all of his stuff just for her. The thought of becoming the kind of girl who would pressure the man she loved to give up everything that made him who he was, just to make her happy, made her physically sick. She loved Jensen for who he was and couldn’t stomach the thought of putting him through something like that.

Jensen had already changed so much since they'd started dating. Overall, he was still pretty much the same guy. He was still sweet, hilarious and fun, but since he decided that he wanted to play a bigger role in her kids lives, he had slowly matured in way that really suited him. She loved the more responsible stepdad side of him, but she didn’t want him to lose sight of who he was before he met her and the boys. At the very least, she certainly didn’t want him to feel like she was pressuring him to be someone other than his authentic self.  

There were so many things lead to the downfall of Quinn’s first marriage, but she suspected that she might have done something similar with her ex husband, Ryan, and she wouldn’t risk making the same mistakes again. Jensen meant everything to her.

When she'd first met Ryan, she'd known that he didn’t want to be a husband or a father and she'd been okay with that. But when Quinn had accidentally gotten pregnant six years ago with their son Cooper, she'd ignored her gut and accepted Ryan’s marriage proposal anyway. She'd stupidly hoped that Ryan would somehow turn into the person that she needed him to be. If not for her, then for their baby’s sake. But, of course, that had never happened.

Soon after Cooper was born, Quinn had gotten pregnant again with Jackson and found that adding a second baby did nothing to fix her failing marriage. Ryan’s drug abuse, neglect and infidelity had eventually turned into a violent attack against her while she was still pregnant. Quinn had left him and was thankful that her and her children had all survived.

In the darkest part of her heart, Quinn secretly held herself partly responsible for what had happened. If she hadn't expected Ryan to become someone he wasn’t capable of being, then maybe he wouldn’t have snapped that night. But she kept those thoughts to herself because, ultimately, Ryan was responsible for his own actions.

After her divorce, Quinn had focused on raising her two boys by herself and kept them safe from their biological father and his family. It had taken her many years to even consider looking for love again. She had been convinced that her baggage was too heavy for anyone to take on.

But, when she'd decided to move to New Hampshire and live closer to her brother Clay, she had true love fall unexpectedly right into her lap. Jake Jensen lived right next door to her and that big dumb smile of his completely changed her life.

Quinn couldn’t have been more grateful to have met Jensen, his playful outlook on life matched her own and he made life fun again. He brought so much colour back into her world and she felt alive for the first time in years.

Boy, did she ever wait for the right man. She and Jensen were two sides of the same coin. They'd been attracted to each other almost instantly, but it was the depth of their friendship that had made her fall in love with him. It hadn't taken them long to realize that they had found in each other the home that they had always been searching for.

Jensen made her feel safe and loved her through all of her issues. He in turn, opened up to her about his own abusive childhood and the PTSD that came with years of being in the special forces. They both respected and understood each other in a way that they had never experienced before.

They were all a family now and the two of them learning how to raise Cooper and Jackson together. From day one, Jensen had never shied away from his role in her children’s lives and had bravely taken to being a stepdad in such a major way. Jensen was a natural and continued to love those two boys with his whole heart. He was Cooper and Jackson’s hero, and for very good reason. Quinn loved that man for who he was and didn’t want to change anything about him.

But at the moment she could kick him.

Quinn was finally ready to take the plunge and have him move in with them. For her, it was such a huge deal. Getting to a place where she felt safe enough to share her heart, home, and children with someone didn’t come easily.

And as usual, Quinn was sure she knew exactly what to do to make everything perfect and was twisting herself inside out to make it happen.

They had recently survived her ex husband’s meddling and deserved some happiness. The same week that Cooper and Jackson had started calling Jensen daddy, they'd learned that Ryan was trying to get his wealthy mother to rip their new family apart and fight her for custody.

Quinn was so grateful that her family was still together and all in one piece. But after surviving all of that, she considered this move to be a new beginning for them and she had to make it as perfect as possible. Not just for her, but for Jensen as well. For Quinn, the pressure was on.

The plan, was to fully merge their two lives together. For her, that meant having Jensen feel like he was living in his own home, and not just crashing at her place. Quinn figured that could only happen if he moved more of his stuff into their condo, whether it went with her decor or not.

Even though he was currently annoying the hell out of her, Quinn needed Jensen to know how important he was to her. He not only stood by her through all the drama, but he had waited so long for her to finally ask him to move in with her the boys. The patience that he had showed her was remarkable and completely out of character.

Quinn assumed that he must have a felt like a guest in her home for months now and she was desperate for that to end. Jensen deserved and an equal position in their home and family.

Having everything be 50/50 only seemed fair, anything less made her feel like she was taking advantage of him somehow.

“Heeey. What’s goin’ on in that cute little head of yours?” Jensen finished his beer then pushed himself off the couch and made his way over to her. “You’re being weirder than usual.”

He leaned up against the kitchen counter and adjusted his glasses. He missed his sweet dorky girlfriend and wanted to make her smile before he had to leave and meet with Pooch.

“Seriously, dude? You had in this condo for a year before I moved in next door. But this place is so empty. It’s like you lived like a serial killer or something. Don’t you have anything that you’ll miss? Please. You can’t throw everything away.”

Jensen sighed and crossed his arms as he listened to her. He’d do anything to make her happy, but he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t understand why she was so stressed out over a some old worn out furniture and a few random coffee mugs.

“You can bring anything with you, you know that right? _Anything._ ” Her eyes were so big and blue as she searched his face for some answers.

“Can I bring my freezer full of human hair and body parts?” he joked in a mock serious voice.

Jensen didn’t get the laugh that he was hoping for and ran his hand down his chin in frustration. He hated disappointing her.

“It isn’t just my place anymore. You know that right?” she explained. “I want it to be our home. Yours and mine, together. Don’t you have any embarrassing guy stuff? Trophies, action figures, old comic books? ….or one of those flashing neon bar signs or something?”

“Ha! I wish!” He was starting to understand what she was getting at and smiled down at her. “I do miss that old beer pong trophy that I won in basic, I worked my ass off for that thing. But hey, I bought this condo with Amanda remember?”

“Yeah, I know. You told me that she was obsessed with living in a nice building and twisted your arm into buying this place.” Quinn recalled.

“That she did.” he regretfully sighed. “Well? Then whadda think happened to all my old stuff? She fuckin’ happened, babe.” Jensen reached across the counter and took Quinn's hand and played with her fingers.

“You see, a few days after we moved in here, I had to leave with the team on a mission and when I got back I found out that she had chucked out most of my shit behind my back.”

“That bitch!” Quinn was shocked, but it sounded like something that Mandi would do.

After Jensen’s ex girlfriend had popped back into their lives awhile ago and had tried to start trouble, there was no love loss between her and Quinn.

“Yeah, looking back she was probably pissed that I could only afford a tiny one bedroom unit and took it out on my stuff. It sucked, but she said I’d thank her one day.” Jensen laughed at Quinn’s horrified reaction and shook his head. He loved how different she was from his ex.

“She said something about _tough love_ and _ushering me into adulthood_ ,” he mocked in a fake female voice.

“That’s bullshit.”

“Total bullshit. Well, after she tossed out all of my treasured possessions, she did me dirty again and maxed out my credit card to fill this place up with all her fancy fufu shit.” Jensen ran his hand down his chin and sighed again, he hated talking about that time in his life. Amanda was the worst, he was still trying to pay off that damn card.

“Then _,_ she went for an encore and cleaned me out _again_ when I dumped her and kicked her expensive ass out. She left and took everything that wasn’t nailed down or army issued.”

“And well…” Jensen took a look around his small condo “...this place has been pretty bare ever since. But hey, on the bright side, I pretty much just have to grab my toothbrush and sprint next door cause we don’t have to deal with all my single guy stuff. I know you’re pretty slick at beer pong, babe, but I doubt you wanna to practice on your own personal table.”

“But don’t you get it? I want to deal with your single guy stuff, Jensen!” Quinn whined and stomped her foot again. “I already assumed you came with a stupid beer pong table!”

“I had three, actually,” he interrupted. “...not important. Sorry. Continue.”

“Three? Really?” Quinn was surprised and a little impressed, but he still didn’t understand where she was coming from.

“I was just ready for it all,” Quinn sighed and tried not to cry. “Maybe not 3 beer pong tables, I mean who owns three beer pong tables?”

Jensen sheepishly raised his hand and Quinn’s heart swelled. She loved her big dorky man so much.

“Except you, babe.” she sadly smiled. “I was just ready for all of the give and take and the 50/50 stuff that comes with moving in with someone. I was looking forward to it and I wanted us to do that together...I guess after everything is said and done, I just wanted to have more of _you_ in our home.”

“Aww. Come ‘er, Grumpy Pants.” Jensen walked around the counter and pulled her into a hug. Her heart was always in the right place, her goodness made his chest ache sometimes.

“All that stuff was you. That was your history,” she pouted into his chest. “And I wanted it. I wanted it all and that Mean Girl Barbie Doll threw it away like it was nothing.”

“I know, babe. I’m sorry.” he smoothed her hair and kissed the top of her head. “I had this wicked cool massage chair that you would have hated, too.”

He giggled when she groaned and mumbled something that sounded like _“Of course you did.”_ into his chest.

“Man, I wish I could show the kids that badass 4 foot Godzilla I had,” he added with a hint of wistful nostalgia in his voice. “It was so big, Jack could have rode the damn thing.”

“Awww, they would have loved that!” Quinn was so disappointed that she thought she could cry, but Jensen’s hugs could cure just about anything. She always felt better in his arms.

That was the kind of weird stuff she was expecting to pack up and take with them. At this point, she would do anything to have a huge ugly ass massage chair sitting awkwardly out of place in their living room, or maybe one of three beer pong tables taking up space in their storage unit.

“I can go out and buy some more dumb shit if that’ll make ya feel better? I’d do anything for love, QBall.”

“Shaddup!” she laughed and gave him a lighthearted smack. “We already have that broken Nintendo you and Cooper brought home last week taking up space. That’ll do, for now.” she teased.

“Hey! That’s a first generation system, little lady!”

He squeezed her tighter and playfully growled. Quinn was finally sounding like her old self and Jensen let out a loud sigh. Crisis averted. She didn’t sound like she was about to murder him anymore.

“...that was the find of the century! I’ll fix it, you’ll see.”

“I have no doubt, Mr. Smarty Pants.” she added with laughter in her voice. “I went on Ebay already ordered the two of you some games for when you do. Don’t tell Coop, it’s a surprise.”

“Aw! That’s my girl!” he cooed into her hair. “It’s all just stuff, you know....I have everything that I want right here.” Jensen kissed the top of her head again and was proud of himself for finally making her laugh.

“Sadly, I'm not nearly as cool as a 4 foot Godzilla.” she playfully pouted.

“No, you aren’t.” he sarcastically agreed and ran his hands up and down her arms.

“But you have boobs. Very, very nice boobs, so I think I can deal.”

He was adorable and knew just how to make her feel better. Going through the ups and downs of life with this man just got better and better, she mused.

“...and you let me play with them sometimes,” he added while he pushed her breasts together over and over again.

Jensen looked so fascinated by their buoyancy. Quinn rolled her eyes and reluctantly humored him and let him continue.

“Well at least I got my tits goin’ for me, huh?” she sarcastically teased as he continued to play with her boobs. “Maybe I should add my bra size to my resume?”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short, babe. You have a stellar ass, too.” He smirked and abandoned her breasts to grab her ass with both hands. “Good old Godzilla is pretty sweet but he doesn't have an ass like yours!” he playfully growled.

She giggled into his chest while he squeezed her butt to make his point.

“So are we done here? I was going to meet Pooch at the gym before dinner and sort out your training schedule. He managed to convince Jolene to take some self defense lessons with you too.”

Jensen felt Quinn groan against his chest and knew that she was rolling his eyes. After everything that had happened with that asshole Wade Travis in New York, Jensen was serious about teaching her how to defend herself and kick some serious ass. It didn’t matter how annoyed she got with him, Jensen knew it was for her own good.

Jensen had not forgotten about what happened in during her book tour and neither had Clay. Fortunately for Jensen, the stubbornness that ran in Quinn's family came in handy at times. Clay wasn’t known for letting things go and Quinn’s overprotective brother was still trying to track that asshole down. Travis was pretty slick and hadn’t left any kind of cyber trail for Jensen to follow yet, but that didn’t stop Jensen and Clay from trying to find him. Both Jensen and the Colonel were itching to get their hands on him.

Jensen still couldn’t believe that Quinn's rich ass ex monster in law had gone so far as to hire Kryon security to threaten to kidnap the boys and intimate them. He was so thankful that it had never gotten that far, but after everything was said and done he wasn’t sure whose mother was worse. His or Ryan's? At the very least, the two women were cut from the same cloth. He never wanted Quinn and the boys to have to deal with his family. Just the thought, left a bad taste in his mouth.

But after the way that Wade manhandled and groped Quinn in New York, the whole team was looking forward to some good old fashion payback. But in the meantime, as a precaution, they all agreed that they should try and turn Jensen’s “little badass” into the real thing.

“You go. I’ll sort everything out here. I have get dinner started soon and the realtor will be by later with her market assessment.” Quinn looked up and quickly kissed the corner of his mouth. “Last chance. Are you sure that there’s nothing here that you want to keep? Is there anything here that you care about?”

“Ya. I’m lookin’ at her.” Jensen gave her a devilish smirk and grabbed her ass firmly again with both hands. “Remember the time we fucked like drunk bunnies over there on the floor.” Jensen motioned with his chin towards the living room.

“Was that with you?” Quinn teased and felt him squeeze her ass harder in retaliation.

“Yes, it was with me, smartass.”

Feeling his strong hands on her was instantly starting to make her wet, but she couldn’t resist the chance to mess with him.

“My memory is a little hazy, so I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Punk.” He smirked and rubbed his nose against hers. “I’d love ta fuck the shit outta ya and refresh your memory, but I gotta meet up with Pooch…”

He continued to squeeze and kneed her ass cheeks and a deep groan escaped his the back of throat. The hungry way that her big blue blue eyes were looking up at him was making him hard and he started doing the math in his head. He wondered how late he could be before Pooch lost it on him.

“You could just blow Pooch off…” Quinn countered as she ran her hands up his chest and around his neck.

Jensen smelled so good, everything that she was stressing out about just moments before seemed to just melt away.

“...and I could just blow you instead,” she purred with a wink.

“You sexy little dork.” He pulled her flush against him by her ass, so she could feel how hard she had made him. “We’ll have to be quick, though. Like super quick. Lightening fast.”

“Just what every girl loves to hear.” she playfully scoffed.

They heard a notification go off on his phone and Quinn reached into his back pocket and fished his phone out for him. After a quick glance, Jensen tossed it on the countertop and took both of her full breasts into his hands pushed her up against the kitchen counter.

“You’re in luck, little lady,” he darkly hummed and continued to squeeze her boobs and roll her nipples between his thumbs over her shirt. “Pooch is all tied up with wedding shit. Jo is stuffing him full of cake at the moment. We have a little time.”

“Lucky guy.” she moaned and enjoyed Jensen’s more aggressive touch. She was so horny, she was about to tear his t shirt off.

“Lucky guy? Lucky us.” he added before he started to kiss and suck along the side of her neck.

He couldn’t wait to get her naked and watch her come, his heart was beating so fast. He loved the effect that she continued to have on him, it was like nothing he had ever felt before.

“Lucky Pooch. I’m a big fan of cake.” Her giggles turned into a moan when she felt his teeth nip at her ear.

“You’re just full of jokes today, aren’t cha?” Jensen teased darkly. “I likey.”

Jensen moaned in delight as he pulled her shirt up over her head and let it fall beside them on the kitchen floor.

“You know, I like cake as much as the next guy, but I’m a bigger fan of _dem titties,_ ” he joked in a funny voice.

He stared at her full large breasts that were practically spilling out of her black lace bra and licked his lips.

“Not funny, Jake!” she chastised in horror. “Who says that? What’s wrong with you?” Quinn stood up straighter and tried to cover herself up with her arms.

“Shit! No, no, no. Oh shit. I was just joking, babe. I’m an idiot.” Jensen’s face fell as he tried to apologize and fix his fuck up. They usually horsed around like that, so he wasn’t sure why she was so offended and upset with him all of a sudden, but he instantly felt terrible nonetheless.

She looked so mad at him, it felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his ego. He swallowed hard and tried to think of a way to make it up to her.

 _“Just kidding!”_ Quinn sung out joyfully and jumped up into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Jensen caught her right before she crushed her lips against his. He kissed her back and braced himself against the kitchen counter. He felt a mixture of relief and annoyance, she'd really had him going there for a minute.

“Punk!” Jensen mumbled into her mouth. “I’m gunna get you back for that!”

“Uh huh. I hope so. Bring it, baby.” She answered against his lips and flicked her tongue against the corner of his mouth. “But it serves you right for sitting on that cute butt of yours all day!”

The cute happy wink that she gave him made Jensen barked out a loud laugh, this was going to be fun.

“Oh I'll bring it, you dork.” He promised to her tits as he carried her into the living room to relive a little bit of their history together.


	2. "Cake"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen and Quinn say goodbye to his condo and Jensen surprises her with a special gift.

“Wow. That was intense…” Jensen chuckled to himself as he slowly ran his lips over Quinn’s bare back.

Jensen and Quinn were laying in a heap on the floor in Jensen’s living room and both of them were still both trying to catch their breath. He could feel how fast her heart was still beating through her back and it made him swell with pride. Those primal, sexy sounds she had made when she came that last time still rang in his ears. Fuck, he loved it when she didn’t hold back like that.

Quinn was laying on her stomach and Jensen was still half on top of her and he had no desire to move; so he continued to lazily explore her body with his lips. He smiled against her skin, when he inadvertently tickled her with his beard. She giggled softly and he opened his mouth wide and licked away the ticklish sensation. Hearing her moan and feeling her shiver beneath him made wonder if they had time for round two. He loved the way she responded to him. He could stay on the floor with her for the rest of his life and be a very happy man.

He had just fucked this girl in all of his favourite positions but even then, he still couldn’t stop touching her. He ran his hands up and down her back and listened to her softly hum. Jensen wasn’t sure if he’d ever get his fill of her, he just wanted more and more. Every time seemed to be better than the last, he thought as his hands traveled down her ass to the back of her thighs. This was exactly what love was supposed to feel like he decided.

“It was intense and definitely not _‘lightening fast!’_ ” Quinn teased with her cheek against the hardwood floor.

One last time in Jensen’s condo was a great way to say goodbye to it, she thought to herself. Quinn was a little sad that Jensen still wasn’t bringing anything special or sentimental with him next door, but she was excited to get his condo sold nonetheless. She was confident that they would make a lifetime of new memories together that would make up for it.

She wasn’t sure if it was her new found confidence in their future or the multiple orgasms that had her feeling so relaxed and happy. But she closed her eyes as Jensen’s large hands traveled all over her body and savoured the warm, glowy feeling. Only Jensen could make a hot animalistic fuck on a hardwood floor feel so romantic and loving.

Quinn slowly untangled herself from him and looked around to see where they had thrown off their clothes. Jensen had kept his word and had definitely “brought it,” her muscles were sore in all the right places as proof, but it was more than worth it.

Jensen wasn’t nearly done cuddling yet and was about to pull her naked body back against his, when he suddenly remembered that there was somewhere that he needed to be.

_“Shit!”_

Jensen craned his neck and checked the time. The two of them had been fucking without a care in the world for close to 45 minutes. He was the one that made that “lightening fast” joke in the first place, but once they'd gotten going, the rest of the world had just kinda faded away.

Jensen scrambled off the floor and searched for his phone and his clothes. He was supposed to be meeting Pooch after his friend was done wedding cake tasting with Jolene. Fuck! Pooch was gunna kill him, he was probably waiting for him at the gym by now.

Quinn watched him frantically run around as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She couldn't help but admire the way that his body moved. Jensen’s naked physique was quite a sight to behold. She licked her lips and gazed in appreciation as his ab and shoulders muscles flexed as he turned his back to her. He was in such great shape; it was a shame that he had to wear clothes, she mused. Her ogling was interrupted when her eyes landed on the scratches that she had left all along his shoulders and lower back, making her heart sink.

Jensen always wore the marks that she left on him as a badge of honor, but Quinn hated the idea of hurting him. She hadn't meant to mark him, but thankfully they didn’t seem to bother him much as he scrolled through all of his missed messages seemingly oblivious to any pain. She was curious as to what he was reading as a smile stretched across his face.

“What is it?”

“Pooch. He’s so screwed.”

Jensen puffed out a loud laugh and tossed her his phone. She caught it and quickly scanned the texts that had been coming in from Pooch while the two of them had been preoccupied with each other.

She read all of them as Jensen jumped into his jeans and she started laughing herself.

 **Pooch:** Running a little late. Sorry man I forgot today was Cake Eating Day!! This is gunna be fun! I’ll meet you at the gym when we’re done. I'll be 30 mins tops.

 **Pooch:** Ha sucker! These aren’t even sample sizes! You WISH you were me right now!

 **Pooch:** Change of plans, I’m so full of cake man. I think I’m gunna be sick.  I know you’re stoked about Quinn’s training but, I’m in trouble dude. The Pooch has gotta bail.

 **Pooch:** The Pooch has made a big mistake. I think I’ve eaten like two full cakes in under 15 mins, brother.

 **Pooch:** I’m never eating cake again

 **Pooch:** Remember the soup nazi? Well these people are worse! Jo thinks she’s gotta diet for her dress and she’s making me eat hers too. You got my text about bailing on the gym right?

 **Pooch:** soooooo much cake. They really want our business and keep bringing it in. The Pooch can’t move.

 **Pooch:** On a scale of one to punk ass bitch, how bad would it be if I assembled the team to get me outta here?

 

 **Jolene:** Hi Jensen, have you heard from Pooch?

 **Jolene:** No worries! I found him :)  Tell Q that I can’t make it to dinner tonight, but I’ll send Pooch to your place with a cake from our new bakery. I swear they’re AMAZING! I’ll leave their card too.  Maybe you and Q can use them too? ;) They really take their job very seriously!

 

 **Pooch:** Thanks for caring man. This is like some enhanced interrogation shit! I’m dying here! I tried hiding but they sniffed me out.

 **Pooch:** You better not be waiting for me at the gym Jensen. Answer your damn texts.

 **Pooch:** I’d rather eat army rations for a month then see any more frosting! They all taste the same now. I can’t make up my mind.

 **Pooch:** after all of that we might be having cupcakes...jesus. I’ll see you tonight dude.

 **Pooch:** I can’t believe that Jo is making me bring you guys a cake. I can’t even look at it. I’m trying not to smell it. That was traumatic man.

 **Pooch:** Jensen! Are you still alive?

 

 **Jensen:** Sorry brother, I was busy with my woman and eating my own cake. ;) I’ll see you tonight.

 

 **Jensen:** Thanks for the cake Jo! I’ll make sure that Pooch gets the first slice! :)

 

“Aww, poor Pooch.” Quinn giggled. “I told you I loved cake. It’s never let me down.”

“Trust me, babe. You taste a hell of a lot better than anything at that bakery.”

Quinn handed Jensen back his phone and he helped her up off the floor. She reached up towards the ceiling and stretched out her sore muscles while Jensen watched her naked body with appreciation.

She rolled her eyes and smirked, knowing that she must have had the same look on her face watching him just moments before. She took a moment to kiss his bare shoulder and run her fingertips over his scratches before she even attempted to find her own clothes.

“Sorry about that. Do they hurt?”

“Naw. I love it.” He shrugged off her attention and turned around to face her so she that she would stop fussing over him. “I’ve always wanted to know what it was like to fuck a tiger.”

“You _HAVE?_ ” she scoffed.

“No, not really. I realized how dumb that sounded as soon as I said it.” He laughed and nonchalantly started to play with her boobs.

“It just dawned on me how much fun naked yoga would be.” He chuckled.

“It would give a whole new meaning to Downward Facing Dog.” she added with a wink.

She playfully swatted his hands away when her words made him squeeze her breasts more aggressively. She had to get dinner ready and they, unfortunately, didn’t have time for round two.

Quinn sighed and looked around his empty condo. The two of them had never spent much time there, but it still held a few pleasant memories for her.

“Is there anything about this place that you’re gunna miss, babe?” she asked him as he came up from behind her and pulled her up against his chest.

Jensen hummed into the side of her neck and she wasn’t surprised to feel his hands come around and play with her breasts again. She hummed back as he fondled her and left stray kisses behind her ear. She loved the familiar feeling of his strong hands on her body and couldn't help but lean back into his chest and let him have his way.

“I dunno, babe. This place never really felt like a home, you know? Not like next door with you and the kids.”

He placed a loud wet kiss to the back of her shoulder and then, reluctantly, went and collected their discarded clothing.

“Well, this _is_ the first place that we ever _maaade_ _looove_ …” she sang out from the inside of her shirt as she pulled it down over her head.

When her head popped out, he gave her a sweet smile and tried to smooth out her wild, “just fucked” hair for her. She looked adorable, but he couldn’t help but wish that she was naked again.

“Sweet sweet love.” He sung out wistfully as they both finished getting dressed. “...all three first times, if I recall. Our first time was pretty epic, huh?”  

“Not as epic as some hot tiger sex though…” she teased and pretended to growl and hiss at him.

“You dork. I’m not livin’ that one down any time soon I’m I?”

“Nope.” she confirmed, popping the P at the end.

Once she was dressed, he slipped his hands into the back pockets of her little denim shorts and pulled her towards him. Happy Quinn was a lot more fun than grumpy Quinn, naked or not.

“Seriously though, babe, everything before you was pretty sucky. You’re in all the good memories I have of this expensive dump.”

His love for her was written all over his handsome face. She could tell that he was reliving all of those good memories in his mind.

“Awww, you’re soooo whipped, Jensen! You already got laid, quit butterin’ me up!” Quinn teased and smiled back up at him.

Those blue eyes of his made her chest ache, in a good way, and made her feel like the luckiest woman alive. She held his adoring gaze as she reached up and tried to fix his hair the same way he'd tried to fix hers. She was pretty whipped, too, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She had no idea what she'd ever done to deserve being so happy.

“Guilty as charged…” he confessed and nostalgically looked around his old place. “...but, the most important memory, I think, for me anyway, was before we _made love_. I got lucky before I got lucky. Ya know what what I mean?”

“Huh?”

“When you came here and fixed everything... after I fucked up and had that nightmare…I’m not sure if I ever thanked you for that.” Jensen added in a much smaller voice.

Quinn was taken off guard by the change in his mood and the air caught in her throat. She didn’t expect him to bring up the incident that had happened before their meaningful first night together.

They had just made some head way in their relationship and had learned that the feelings they had for each other were mutual, when Jensen had had a very vivid dream brought on by his PTSD. He'd had no idea where he was or what was going on when she'd tried to wake him. His mind had been playing tricks on him and he believed he was actually still in the war zone he'd been was dreaming about. He ended up grabbing her and pushing her to the ground in his confused state.

Thankfully, he hadn't hurt her that badly. But with Quinn’s history with domestic violence, she had assumed the worst and had ended things with him immediately. Ironically, it had been Clay that had helped her sort out what had happened and she'd ended up giving Jensen the benefit of the doubt and a second chance. Clay might not have approved of their relationship in the beginning, but he'd known that Jensen would never hurt her on purpose and had helped her see that.

“...I’m still so fucking sorry about that, Quinn.”

Jensen looked so young and helpless that it broke her heart. She thought that they had put that incident behind them a long time ago. She understood what had happened and had forgiven him. Jensen had been getting the help he needed ever since. Quinn was so proud of how he accepted responsibility for his actions and how seriously he took his therapy. Nothing remotely like that had ever happened again.

“I know you are, baby.” she sighed and gave him a sweet, sympathetic smile.

Quinn never took it for granted when Jensen let her in and showed her his more vulnerable side. His true strength had nothing to do with his muscles or his toned physique, but lay in his heart and his willingness to let his defenses down with her. She was in awe of his bravery. In times like this, when it was just the two of them, there was no bravado, only raw, emotional honesty. As a consequence, she had never felt closer to anyone in her life.

She looked into his sad, blue eyes and fell in love with him again for the millionth time.

“Jensen, you don’t have to thank me. Coming to you that night, and sorting everything out, was the best decision I ever made.”

When he started to blush and shyly look away, she reached up and cupped his cheek to bring his eyes back to hers.

“I mean it, baby. ”

He smiled a little and squeezed her butt through the back pocket of her shorts to let her know that he believed her.

“I was so fucked up that night.” He closed his eyes and leaned his face into the palm of her hand. “You kicked me out and I was sitting here thinking about what I did to you. What I could have done to you…. But when I opened the door and saw you standing there…Fuck, dude, I don’t think I’ll never forget how it felt to see you standing there.”

His voice broke and he quickly turned away and tried to clear his throat. Despite his attempt, Quinn saw the tears that he was fighting to keep at bay and tried her best to comfort him.

“Shhh, baby, please don’t. That’s all over and done with ...” she cupped his face with both hands, forcing him to look at her again and brought his lips to hers. Hearing the pain in his voice was almost too much for her to bare.

“I thought…” he whispered against her lips. “I really thought we were over before we had even started. I never thought I’d see you again.” He tried to swallow down the hard lump in his throat as he relived the trauma in his head. “...I think about that night sometimes… and how things could have turned out so differently. Thank you for giving me a second chance...”

“Stop thanking me. I came out of that night with just as much as you did. I got you. You gave me a second chance that night too, baby.” She kissed his lips again and he wrapped his large arms around her waist. He held her tight and after a moment he let out a deep sigh.

Jensen gave the best hugs. In his arms she always felt so safe and loved, she wished she knew how to give him back the same feeling. She nuzzled her face into his chest and breathed in his scent.

“...things turned out the way that they were supposed to.” she reassured him. “We forgave each other and look at how far we’ve come. If that night didn’t happen the way it did, maybe we wouldn’t be as close as we are now. You have to forgive yourself, Jake, and let all of that go.”

“You’re never scared of me, are you?” he asked above her with his chin on top of her head. “You’d tell if you were, right? Do you think the kids are ever scared of me?”

Quinn held him tighter and could feel how anxious he was, every one of his impressive muscles were tense. He seemed to be holding her closer to keep from shaking and it broke her heart.

She would do anything to keep him from feeling this way. Jensen had always been so good to her and even better to Cooper and Jackson. He had barely raised his voice to Cooper and Jackson in the year he’s known them and certainly had never laid a hand on them. She’d never known a man more patient with children.

Quinn knew all of Jensen’s deepest darkest fears and she hated that his parents had instilled him with so much self doubt. Of course, the boys adored him and had never been scared of him. She was upset that he still felt the need to ask her such a thing.

“You are _nothing_ like your parents, baby, and I’ll tell you that as many times as you need to hear it ...one day I hope you’ll believe me.”

She felt him take a deep trembling breath and she tried not to cry. She wanted to be strong for the man she loved, but inside, her heart was breaking. She hated those people, they didn't deserve to be called parents, for the damage they had inflicted on him. Quinn hoped that one day Jensen would be able to see what a wonderful man and father he is.

“I’m not scared of you...” she stated emphatically.

Jensen needed to hear her and maybe her tone was a little too harsh in order to make her point, but she continued anyway.

“... and neither are the boys, okay? I’d tell you if we were and we _aren’t_. Period.” She took a deep breath and kissed his shirt where it laid over his heart. “Fuck, please stop doing this to yourself, Jake.” she pleaded. “Everything is fine, I promise. Everyone is happy. You’re moving in with us and there is no way in hell I’d let you anywhere near my kids if I thought you’d hurt them. You have no idea how much I love you, do you?”

“You just gave me a pretty fuckin’ awesome naked demonstration about ten minutes ago.” he playfully whispered into her hair.

Making jokes was easier than feeling the way he was. Quinn was too good to him. He knew that he didn’t deserve her or the boys, but tried his best to push those dark thoughts away. They were his whole world and the three of them gave his life a special meaning. Maybe one day he’d feel worthy of them.

“I really love you too, punk. Fuck, I didn’t know it was possible to love this hard before. It's starting to mess with me I think. Things matter more now and I’m starting to doubt shit. Thanks for kicking my ass.”

“Anytime, baby.”

Jensen felt her smile against his chest and a warm hopeful feeling came over him, he knew, in his heart, that she was telling him the truth. Against all the odds, she did love him and she was right, he did need to forgive himself somehow.

He held her head in his hands and kissed her forehead twice while she rubbed his back and tried to comfort him. She always managed to fix him and love him back together without even trying. He loved her so much that, at times, it physically hurt.

Jensen hugged her close and buried his face in her soft brown hair and was kicking himself for getting so emotional. He knew that he should let all that childhood crap go, but, in his defense, this was the first time that he’d faced these issues as an adult. Avoiding the pain by cracking jokes and chasing adrenaline had always seemed to work for him in the past. But that was before he'd met a girl that cared enough to give a shit about him and help him truly cope.

In all honesty, Jensen had not been prepared to fall for Quinn as hard as he had. Opening up to her had been surprisingly easy and had happened pretty early on in their relationship. Maybe he would have felt cooler or manlier if he’d held off a little bit and not shared everything with her right off the bat, but it was almost as if he hadn't had a choice in the matter. Letting her in and being himself with her came so naturally. He trusted her more than anyone in his life.

It had been scary at first, but he surprisingly didn’t mind feeling exposed and raw with her. Quinn had this magically way about her that never made him feel small, even if he was crying on her shoulder like a little bitch. Love had a way of completely fucking him up, but he was so happy that he just went with it. As a result, for the first time in his life, he was truly happy and facing his demons with the girl of his dreams. With her help, he had faith that he might actually start to heal.

Jensen was amazed that she had managed to break down the walls that he had built up for most of his life. Somehow, Quinn had managed to love away most of the shame and embarrassment he'd felt about his childhood and she had become his home. Because of her, he truly felt safe for the first time in his life. But he figured that was what was supposed to happen when you finally met the right person. It helped that, in his case, the right person was a badass chick like Quinn.

He never regretted jumping in head first and being himself with her. She had been a little bit more gun shy than he had been in the beginning. But eventually, she'd opened up to him in the same way and they had been going strong ever since.

But hurting Quinn, even a little bit, had rocked Jensen to his core. It had happened so many months ago, but he still hadn’t made peace with it. Accident or not. Putting his hands on a woman the same way that his father had done was abhorrent to him.

In fact, all of the trauma he'd carried around from his childhood, seemed to be on his mind more and more nowadays. He suspected that becoming a step-dad had brought his parents' despicable actions to the forefront of his mind more often than before. He’d die before he let anyone do to his kids what his parents had done to him and his sister.

Before Quinn, he'd always worried that he’d be a shitty father because he'd never had a great example growing up. But suddenly falling in love and becoming a stepdad had him made him realize that he knew exactly what NOT to do with his kids. He’d make sure that Cooper and Jackson had the childhood that he never had.

He loved Quinn’s boys in a way that was independent from his feelings for her. They were the coolest kids he’d ever met and he was their father in every way that mattered. But ever since Cooper and Jackson had started calling him daddy, the pressure to be a good parent was becoming greater and greater. Those boys meant everything to him and, the more he loved them, the greater the stakes became. Especially after almost losing them to their dickhead biological father.

Jensen promised Quinn, and more importantly himself, that he would never be anything like his parents. He wanted Cooper and Jackson to have a great childhood and he would move heaven and earth to make that happen. Those two kids deserved the whole world. At the very least, they deserved to feel safe and be happy.

"Let’s get outta here, ok. I’m starting to miss the cubs.” Jensen broke their heavy silence. “My sister should be dropping them off soon.”

“I just gotta wipe down the kitchen.” Quinn’s hands slid down his back and into the back pocket of his jeans this time. She gave his butt a playfully squeeze and kissed the corner of his mouth.

“You go and let the dogs out. I’ll see you at home in a bit.”

“ _Home_ .” Jensen repeated proudly with a twinkle in his eye. “... _yeeeah_. I am pretty whipped, huh?”

Quinn felt relieved that her cute, funny boyfriend was back.

“It’s a good look on you. I dig it.”

Jensen kissed Quinn goodbye and reluctantly left her at his place to finish up. The second the door closed behind him, he started to miss her and he began to feeling guilty about bringing up all that shit from before. He could tell that it had made her sad and he wondered if there was anything he could to make it up to her.

Once they got back from New York, Quinn had hit the ground running and had been going pretty hard on all cylinders ever since. She was the one dealing with realtors and trying to get his condo sold. Plus, she was trying to make sure that the kids were okay by spending extra quality time with them, on top of also helping coach his niece's junior soccer team.

Not to mention her work deadlines and the meetings she had been attending with everyone under the sun lately. Her agent, Charlie, had recently employed a small army for the sole purpose of finding a way to get Quinn out of her book deal. No one liked the idea of Quinn working for her crazy ex-mother-in-law after she'd bought the publishing house that Quinn worked with.

With everything on Quinn’s plate, the last thing that she needed to do was worry about him and his mommy and daddy issues. Jensen wanted to make her life easier, not harder. She deserved to spoiled a little. That was his job, right?  But spoiling Quinn was a very hard task. It’s not like he could just buy her off. Whatever he did, or bought for her, had to have some meaning to have the desired effect.

Jensen made it halfway back to their condo before it hit him. He had the perfect idea. He quickly dealt with their two dogs, tapping his foot impatiently as they did their business, before he double timed it back into his old apartment.

\-------------------------------------------

Quinn had Kendrick Lamar blaring in the Jensen’s small kitchen as she danced around and cleaned, but jumped when she heard the door bang open. By the hurried way that Jensen charged back into his condo, Quinn was convinced that something must be wrong. The fact that their two small dogs were trailing behind him had her completely puzzled.

Daisy, her cream coloured french bulldog, came sniffing up to her and Quinn scooped her up into her arms.

“What is your daddy up to, huh?” she asked as the dog happily licked her chin.

She turned off the music and abandoned her chores to try and find some answers.

“Jensen?” she called out and followed him down the hall and into his old bedroom.

“Ah HA!” She heard him shout and start laughing from inside his empty closet. “Duke, quit jumpin’ dude!”

“What is it? Is everything okay? You're scaring the crap outta me!”

“Sorry. I got somethin’ for ya though. I forgot all about this!” Jensen held a small wooden box in his hand and couldn’t have looked more proud of himself.

He was adorable when he was beaming with excitement. He looked like the mirror opposite of the way he'd appeared just a short while before.

Daisy sensed his happy mood and wanted to explore. Quinn put her down on the floor and waited to find out what Jensen was going to give her that had him so excited.

“You’re gunna love it, babe. At least, I hope you’ll dig it. It’s not a beer pong table or a giant Godzilla, but I’ve had this puppy ever since high school!” He spoke to the box in hand and his voice and an unmistakable trace of awe in it. “Amanda didn’t realize it was in here in my closet or she probably would have chucked it along with my other stuff.”

“You wanted some of my history?” he proud proclaimed. “Well here ya go!”

Jensen tossed her the small box, that was no bigger than the palm of her hand and stuffed his hands into the pocket of his jeans and waited anxiously for her reaction.

Daisy tried to fetch it for him, but Quinn caught it and ran her fingertips over the stained wood. It looked old and homemade, she’d never seen it before and looked to him for more of an explanation.

“I made that bad boy, _myself_ , in Mr. Freeman’s shop class!” he clarified and rocked back and forth from his heels to his toes. He’s happy energy filled the whole room. Duke, his boston terrier still wanted attention so Jensen picked him up and rubbed behind his ears.

“You’re kidding!” Quinn was elated.

He always listened to her, she loved that the most about him. This was exactly the kind of sentimental thing that she was worried he would throw away. She clutched the small wooden homemade box to her chest and matched Jensen’s giant dorky smile.

“You made this all by yourself!” she asked in amazement.

“Yeah, no biggie. I used to keep my weed in it. But, full disclosure though, I sorta copied off of Casey. But I still deny it to this day, so don’t sell me out, okay.”

Quinn gave him a mock serious nod and crossed her heart. She felt so honored that he shared this part of his history with her. She couldn’t wait to display it proudly in their home. He looked so cute proudly smiling as he held Duke. Jensen let the little dog curl up against his shoulder and Quinn found herself wondering how sweet it would be to watch Jensen holding a baby one day.

“But I’m responsible for like 99% of it though...maybe more like 75%.... Or really like 65% of it. But I sanded and stained the whole thing myself, I swear.”

Quinn giggled at his confession, but still loved her new prized possession nonetheless.

“Casey made one, too, but I think she used it for jewellery or some shit. But this one is all yours, babe. Do you like it? Is that the kinda thing you spent all day looking for?”

“This is perfect! It’s exactly the kinda thing I didn’t want you to throw away.” Quinn was smiling like she had just won the lottery and it made Jensen feel ten feet tall.  

“I love it, Jake. I really do. I’m so glad it survived your ex.” Quinn took the lid off and took a whiff inside and, sure enough, it reeked of old stale pot. She made a sour face that made Jensen nearly double over laughing at her.

“When do I get to meet this clever, woodworking friend of yours?” Quinn asked over his laugher and put the lid back on her new beloved stinky treasure.

Jensen had mentioned his childhood friend Casey Dean to her many times. But ever since she'd twisted his arm to met his cousin Brandon, Quinn had stopped pushing him for any new introductions. That fancy dinner party that Quinn had tried to throw for his cousin had ended in disaster, which was exactly how Jensen had predicted it would go.

Quinn had since learned her lesson and had agreed to let Jensen introduce her to his family and friends at his own pace. But she had a feeling that Casey was a little different from the other members of Jensen’s past. There was a look in his eye that told her that Casey might be associated with the few good memories Jensen had of his childhood.

"I’m workin’ on it, QBall. You’ll love her.” Jensen put Duke down and sighed. “...Whadda makin’ the guys for dinner later? I’m starving.”

On top of everything else that Quinn had on her plate, she had invited the whole team over for dinner that night. It was time to let the cat out of the bag and announce that they were officially moving in together. Cougar and Pooch already knew, of course, but they'd promised to act surprised.

“I dunno yet, but I promise it’ll be better than army rations.”

“Ha! I have no doubt, QBall. But I’m lookin’ forward to some _cake._ ” He wrapped his arm around his girl and pulled her into a playful headlock against his chest. “I might have missed the gym, but you already gave me quite a workout, didn’t ya, dirty girl.” He giggled and kissed her temple. “Get it?”

“Loser.” she teased.

Jensen tightened his grip around her neck in retaliation and they began to playfully wrestle.  Quinn was no match against the special ops soldier and the dogs began to bark at him. She laughed and playfully begged for their help and that just encouraged their barking.

Jensen started to gloat and tease her, but she knew all of his weaknesses and began to poke and tickle his ribs until she won and he set her free.

Jensen refused to accept defeat and chased her through every inch of his former home. His nearly empty condo was filled with the sounds of their laughter and their dogs yapping at their crazy owners.

The dogs chased behind them as they acted like children. At some point, Jensen started to do his best Godzilla impression and pretended that their dogs were scared people trying to run from him. Quinn nearly peed her pants laughing at him. They were both having so much fun they almost didn’t want to leave.

During their loud playful chase, Jensen couldn’t help, but feel grateful that his controlling ex-girlfriend had forced him to buy this overpriced condo. If she hadn’t, he never would have fell for the girl next door. Jensen started to hope (if he was patient and played his cards right) that one day his best friend would also someday become his wife.


	3. "The Loop"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen and Quinn invite the team over for dinner and Quinn has some explaining to do with her brother Clay.

Quinn swung around and shut the oven door with her hip then did a quick survey of the kitchen. Everything for dinner that night seemed to be running smoothly. She could make all of her brother's favourite foods in her sleep. Winning Clay over with a big meal had been a tradition of hers ever since her grandmother had taught her how to cook at an early age.

But this time Quinn’s heart wasn’t really in it. Tonight was the night that she and Jensen were going to announce that Jensen’s condo was on the market and that they would officially be moving in together. But whether Clay approved of her and Jensen didn’t make much difference to her, at this point. Regardless of how her brother felt, Jensen wasn’t going anywhere. It would be nice to have Clay on board, but his opinion would never change how she felt about her man or what she wanted her future to look like.

“Hey, babe. Smells great! Is there anything I can do to help?” Jensen happily bounced into the kitchen and started to fish around the cupboards looking for some dog treats to give his two furry shadows that had followed in behind him.

“Nope. It’s all done. I just have to set the timer. Jack helped with the mashed potatoes, though. His my little chef.” she lovingly bragged.

“Aw. Just like his mama. I love your mashed potatoes, it's cool that you're teachin’ him how to make ‘em. We should get you and him matching aprons.” Jensen suggested with pride. “Maybe one of those little chef hats, too.”

“He’d love that. They’re so excited to see all the guys. They haven’t stopped talking about them since Annie dropped them off. I think Coop has texted Cougar four times already! They’re practically bouncing off the walls.”

“I know!” Jensen knowingly laughed. He had just sent both of the kids outside to play with their Nerf guns to try and enjoy some peace and quiet before their little condo was descended upon by the rest of the team.

Quinn leaned up against the kitchen island and smiled as she watched Jensen order Duke and Daisy sit pretty before he gave them each their treat. Daisy was obedient as usual, but Duke couldn’t stop wiggling his little butt.

Daisy got her treat first, which caused Duke to whine and jump on top of Daisy in protest.

“You’re hopeless, little dude!” Jensen laughed and positioned him how he should be sitting then patted the silly boston terrier's head and gave him his treat anyway.

Jensen was such a softy, Quinn mused. They loved those two dogs. If it weren’t for them, her and Jensen might have never gotten together in the first place.

“Say, how did it go with the realtor earlier?” Jensen asked as he made his way over to Quinn.

He put his hands on the counter on either side of her and rubbed his nose against hers. She looked adorable in her little apron, if people weren’t set to show up soon he’d make a play for a quickie before dinner. She smelled so good, he started to get his hopes up anyway.

“We couldn’t talk long because I had to get dinner started, but it went well.” she hummed and rubbed her nose along his and almost forgot about the exciting news that she had to share with him. “It went really well, actually. It looks like the market value of your place has gone up...like up up. By  _ a lot _ .”

“No shit. Really?”

“Yeah. I left the paperwork in our room. Apparently units in this building are going for almost twice of what we paid. It’s a seller's market and she seems to think you’d get whatever you asked for it. Crazy, huh?”

"Whatever  _ we  _ ask for it,” he corrected her, since they recently started sharing their finances.

The meeting that Quinn had scheduled with her accountant, Lillian, a few days ago, to officially give Jensen access to all her accounts had gone well. So well in fact, Jensen was currently now Lillian’s favourite person.

Quinn had wanted her accountant to explain her portfolio to Jensen in better detail than she ever could. But a few minutes into Lillian's presentation, Jensen had spotted  several potential security problems with her computer system. He'd taken over the meeting and had upgraded everything for her on the spot. Quinn had been embarrassed by Jensen’s pushiness, but Lillian had been impressed with Jensen’s knowledge and had reminded Quinn that Jensen was just trying to protect their interests. As of today, they were still picking at the very large fruit basket that Lillian had sent him as a thank you.

After he had finished, Lillian had showed him all of Quinn’s different investments and holdings as well as the large college funds set up for each of the boys. She had quickly skimmed over Quinn's impressive divorce settlement that had been sitting untouched since her divorce from Ryan. Lillian knew it was a sore spot for Quinn and had been instructed to ignore it for years.

Quinn had squeezed Jensen’s hand and had whispered in his ear, “Don't get too excited. I’ve always seen that money as a pay off for what Ryan did to me and Jack. I guess that's the going rate if a Andrews tries to kill you. Spending it makes what Ryan did okay...and well...fuck that. I'm not that easy to buy off.” Jensen had squeezed her hand back and had agreed with her. He liked cash as much as the next guy, but any money that came from that family was tainted as far as he was concerned.

Jensen had been understandably surprised by the scope of it all. He had known that Quinn had some nice things and had never seemed to stress out about money, but he'd had no idea she was so well off. She liked her designer shoes and handbags from time to time, but her daily uniform mainly consisted of jeans, sneakers and tshirts. His tshirts, no less. She had a fancy side, but, more times than not, she would get more excited about frozen yogurt or a family burger joint then a formal, five star restaurant.  

Quinn’s home and her car were both pretty modest and humble considering what Jensen now knew that she could afford. Her tastes were so down to earth, Jensen would never have guessed that she was so loaded.

He could see that she was really trying to give Cooper and Jackson a normal life. He was on board completely and together they were going to make sure that their kids didn't grow up like their biological father with a silver goddamn spoon in their mouths. He loved her for her outlook and finally believed her when she told him that his small army salary didn't matter to her at all. How could it when her much larger income didn’t seem to matter to her either?

Jensen now had access to everything, but he still didn’t feel comfortable spending any of her money. Their money. Not yet anyway. His head was still reeling since that meeting, it would take him about ten lifetimes to come up with that kind of cash, Quinn’s divorce settlement not included. He'd always thought that he had won the lottery when he met Quinn, but he'd had no idea how true that was. He was proud of his girl and everything that she had accomplished but he was happy to hear that, after selling his condo, he could actually contribute something significant to their savings.

But the meeting with her accountant hadn't been all sunshine and rainbows. Jensen had tried not to make it obvious that he had overheard the two women gossiping together while he had worked Lillian’s computer. He'd had to cough down a nervous laugh when Lillian had playfully told Quinn how cute she thought he was and had asked if he had a brother she could set her up with.

But before Jensen could fully enjoy the nice ego boost, Lillian had also asked if Quinn was cool with giving him total access to all of her money. He had held his breath while Lillian had innocently inquired if the two of them were engaged and had even told Quinn that she knew a really great lawyer that was famous for their iron clad prenups.

It had been a perfectly normal question, considering their situation. But Jensen had been disappointed by the way that Quinn had laughed off the question as if it had been the most absurd thing she had ever heard. He had tried to keep a straight face and had pretend that he was focused on the computer screen, but Quinn’s flippant attitude towards marrying him stung.

But on the bright side, after Quinn had stopped laughing, she had let her accountant know that he was indeed pretty cute and that she wouldn’t mind being his “sugar mama” because she trusted her "pushy little computer genius" completely. Since Quinn was terrible at being sneaky, Jensen had overheard everything. But then again, being sneaky was what he did for a living, not her.

The two women had talked a bit more and Lillian had congratulated her and had told Quinn that she looked happier than ever she’d ever seen her. Quinn had thanked her and, more seriously, had told Lillian that he was the source of that new happiness. Quinn had explained that he would always be her children's father and that would be more permanent than anything.

Jensen had decided to take the win and stop feeling sorry for himself.

“Yes, baby. I like that sound of that. Whatever  _ we _ decide to ask for your condo.” Quinn beamed up at him.

Jensen collected Quinn’s long brown hair in his hand and held it together at the base of her neck and softly kissed her lips. Her curious hands found their way under his t shirt and rested on his sides as she kissed him back. He flicked his tongue against the corner of her mouth, when her fingers started to trace his defined adonis. He was getting excited and wanted to deepen their kiss, but had to stop when Quinn started giggling at the noises his empty stomach was making.

“When are the guys getting here again?” he playfully asked. “I’m either gunna raid the fridge or feast on you, pretty lady.”

“You’re insatiable. One would’ve thought our afternoon next door would’ve worn you out? That was just a few hours ago.”

“One would be wrong...I can rally, if you’re game. I can even sweeten the deal by offering you a nice comfy bed this time instead of a hardwood floor.”

He pushed her chin up with his nose and left a wet, open mouthed kiss on her throat. He breathed in her sweet perfume and tried to control himself. He had a feeling he was about to get shot down, but it was worth a shot. Quinn was always worth a shot.

“That feels so good, baby, but you’re gunna have to settle for snacking on the veggie platter I made up.”

“You taste better than broccoli, baby.” he hummed against her neck and kissed throat again.

“Considering the fact that you hate broccoli, I would hope so!” She giggled and felt him puff out a laugh against her neck. “At ease, big guy. They’ll be here soon. We’re gunna have a full house in a few minutes.”

He moaned playfully in disappointment, but caught something in her eyes that concerned him.

“Hey, you okay?” He tighten his grip on her hair and pulled her hair down to make her head raise so that she would look him in the eye. “Are you worried about telling Clay that I’m moving in?”

“Nope. Not even a little bit.”

“Quinn.”

She'd answered too fast and Jensen didn’t believe her. He knew full well how much family meant to his girl. He really hoped that Clay didn’t shit the bed and let her down.

“It’s not really fair. My darling big brother has been  _ ‘dating’ _ my best friend.” Quinn took her hands out of his shirt and used little quotation fingers to describe the official nature of Clay and Mallory’s relationship. “...for just as long as I’ve been dating  _ his _ friend. He didn’t care how awkward hooking up with Mallory would be for me. So he can’t really say shit about us.”

“So I'm Clay’s friend now?” Jensen puffed out a laugh. She was so cute.

“You know what I mean.” she sighed. “Sure. I want him to be happy for us, but if he isn’t then that’s on him. He owes me. I’ve been supportive. Very supportive and, as hard as it’s been, I’ve stayed out his relationship...or lack thereof,” she mumbled under her breath.

“I’m sure he just wants the best for you. I’m that way with Annie. You were the one that told me to stay out of her marriage...or lack thereof. You should follow your own advice, Mrs. Smarty Pants.”

“I don’t plan on getting involved. Clay and Mallory have their own  _ ‘thing’ _ going on and hopefully it works for them. I just want them to be happy.”

Quinn used quotation fingers again and Jensen couldn’t help but smirk at how animated she was over the whole situation. She really did love Mallory and Clay, he could see it in her eyes.

“But hey, if you’re right -”

“Which I usually am.” Jensen chuckled.

“Yes, you usually are,  _ Mr. _ Smarty Pants.” Quinn laughed. “If you’re right and the old man really just wants what’s best for me, he really should be  _ ecstatic _ then, cause you’re kinda killin’ it at the whole live in boyfriend thing.”

“But of course!” Jensen smiled a giant cheesy smile and kissed her lips.

He groaned when she ended their kiss far too soon and continued to complain about her brother. He had a feeling that she wasn’t going to let this go anytime soon. It was kinda a buzz kill, but he was glad she was not letting Clay’s potential freak out effect how she felt about their relationship or their announcement.

“Besides, Clay’s made terrible relationship choices in the past. You’re amazing compared to the women he’s dated before Mal. You’re not married or putting bombs in my car.”

“Yet,” he joked and kissed the tip of her nose.

“Yet.” she giggled. “He’ll be fine. I’m sure he’ll be happy for us. He already told you that he considered you Cooper and Jackson’s father. That’s kinda a big deal.”

“Yeah, but you know how the Colonel is.”

“I do. But seriously how mad can he get?”

\-------------------------------

A little while later the whole dinner table froze and held onto their wine glasses as Clay's fist slammed hard onto Quinn’s dining room table.

“That prick was at your DOORSTEP!” Clay roared. “And you’re just getting around to tell me about this now? I thought you were smarter than this, Quinn!”

Clay could be scary when he pissed off, but his gruff exterior did nothing to phase Quinn. She sat up straighter and braced for impact. This wasn’t her first rodeo with her angry brother. At this point, she was immune to her Clay’s outbursts. But that didn’t stop a hush going over the rest of the table when Clay found out that Quinn’s ex husband had paid her an unexpected visit after her book tour.

Jensen and Quinn were both under the assumption that they had dodged a bullet. They thought that if Clay was going to freak out about anything it would have been their happy announcement that they were officially moving in together. But after heartfelt toasts were made by all, news somehow slipped that Ryan had dared to show his face outside her condo after his mother threatened to kidnap Cooper and Jackson.

The room went from jovial to tense as Pooch, Cougar and Roque kept their eyes on their food. Poor Jensen nervously chuckled to himself and squirmed in his seat and Quinn could have sworn she heard him mumble “Oh, shit. Here we go” under his breath.

Mallory, unceremoniously, stood up and threw her napkin on her plate and stormed into the living room where Cooper and Jackson were finishing their dinner in front of the TV.

Mallory was _ mad. _ In fact, Mallory seemed to be on edge and annoyed with Clay ever since the two of them showed up that evening. Quinn could feel her best friend’s anger radiating off her in waves, but she had no idea why. Clay snapping at Quinn must have been the last straw for her. Quinn had seen her friend passionately defend her over much lesser offences.

Quinn didn’t like taking sides, but she suspected that Clay was somehow behind her friend's foul mood. Even though Clay and Mallory had been dating as long as her and Jensen had, you’d never know it to look at them. Quinn often wondered how happy the two of them truly were, but respectfully had kept her concerns to herself. She was dying to ask Mallory what was going on. But Jensen was right. She shouldn’t get involved.

“At ease, old man.” Quinn passed her brother the mashed potatoes and shot him a pointed look of warning. This may be his team, but he was eating her food and this was still her house.

Clay caught the edge his little sister's voice had and raised an eyebrow at her for challenging him. Quinn looked to Jensen for some backup, but knew she was on her own. This was one of the many times that dating someone under her brother’s command was a royal pain in the ass.

“Look, we didn’t need any military backup. We took care of Ryan ourselves. There was no need for a sniper or a weapons specialist...” Quinn tried to sarcastically downplay their need for his involvement, but Clay looked even more unimpressed with her.

“Or your brother apparently." Clay bitterly added. “Your only family member, who has been looking out for you since the day you born…”  

Quinn winced at his comment and chewed on the inside of her cheek. Clay stared cold daggers at her then finished his whiskey in one shot.

Her shoulders fell and she instantly felt like shit. She had never considered that leaving him in the dark would actually hurt him. But when would he realize that she wasn’t 12 years old anymore?

“He’s not coming back, Clay” she softly tried to explain “...but if he does-”

“If he does come back, that punk ass bitch, is  _ mine _ .” Jensen cut her off from the other end of the table.

To the rest of the table it sounded like Jensen was finally backing her up or at least trying to defuse the situation between her and Clay, but Quinn knew there was some truth to Jensen’s grandstanding. Jensen hated her ex and with good reason.

Quinn tried to shoot Jensen a discreet look to try and get him to dial it down a bit, but he had focused his attention back down to his meal and missed her silent reminder. She was worried about the boys overhearing too much. It wasn’t healthy for Cooper and Jackson to overhear the hatred that they all felt for Ryan, even though the kids couldn’t pick their biological father out of a lineup.

She was sure that when the boys were old enough, they would have a natural curiosity about their biological father and want to know more about Ryan or maybe even meet him one day. She wasn’t exactly sure how they would handle it, but she knew that she wasn’t going to lie to her kids about all of the terrible things that Ryan had done. But on the other hand, she didn’t feel that it was right to influence their opinion of him negatively either. Keeping things age appropriate and sticking to the facts was their game plan for now.

She and Jensen had years to brace themselves for the inevitable heartbreak that their kids were surely going to face if or when they met Ryan. Until they were old enough to seek out their biological father, the long term plan was to love them hard and raise them to be strong, smart, caring men. Their family would always be a safe place for them and they would help pick up the pieces if/when Ryan hurt or disappointed them again.

Figuring out how to deal with potential future parenting issues with another person was new for Quinn. But parenting with Jensen felt so natural. It was nice not to go through all of it alone. That being said, the thought of Ryan coming near his kids one day made Jensen tense and nervous. Quinn loved that protective papa bear side of him, but knew that when the time came he would do what was best for the boys.

Quinn looked over into the living room and her eyes met with Mallory’s. Quinn’s old friend was curled up between Cooper and Jackson on the couch and the three of them were laughing while she played with their hair and tickled them. Those boys loved their Aunt Mallory to death and it showed.

Mallory gave Quinn a small smile and a reassuring nod. That was good old Auntie Mal’s way of letting her know that the boys were none the wiser. Mallory had always told her that Cooper and Jackson were the closest thing to children that she would have. Quinn relaxed a little and knew she could rely on her friend to do her best to make sure they weren’t paying attention to the adults bickering in the other room.

Clay glared at Quinn, but every single one of them were all on the same page when it came to the boys. It was important that the kids be sheltered from as much drama as possible after everything that had happened. The boys were finally back to their old selves after her book tour and Quinn wanted to keep it that way.

Cooper and Jackson had no idea of the extent of the drama. The didn’t know that their paternal grandmother had forced their mom to beg Ryan to go back and work for C&A Industries. They were unaware how of high the stakes were. They didn’t even know that, if Quinn had been unable to convince him, there had been hired thugs waiting outside their home to abduct them from their beds.

But even without that knowledge weighing heavy on their little minds, some damage had already been done. The boys had already been missing their mom deeply when they'd gathered around to watch her ambush interview on tv and then later they'd overheard all of the yelling that had gone on between Jensen and their uncle Clay. They were both very clever kids and they'd known that something had been terribly wrong.

Quinn still hadn’t made peace with the fact that she hadn't been there to help them through their confusion and protect them. But she wasn’t the only one still feeling guilty. Jensen was still kicking himself for leaving their side in the first place that night.

For weeks now, when Quinn woke in an empty bed, she was sure to find Jensen checking in on the boys in the middle of the night to make sure they were still safely sleeping in their beds. They were both working hard to put all of the pieces back together and give their kids the stability that they deserved. Auntie Mallory was a great distraction from any dinner time family drama.

Watching how much Mallory loved her kids, made Quinn feel like a shitty friend. Mallory Lopez was Quinn’s oldest friend, but since Mallory had started dating Clay, they hadn't been as close as Quinn would have liked, but she loved her like a sister nonetheless.

“After that interview and all the trouble that his mother caused in New York, your ex had the nerve to show his face here? Ballsy. I’ll give him that.” Roque pushed his food around his plate and almost sounded impressed with her ex-husband. He was trying to start trouble, as usual.

Both Jensen and Quinn were offended by Roque's tone. In unison, they scoffed loudly and rolled their eyes at him. Pooch caught their comical reaction and laughed at how alike the two of them were becoming.

“Fuck all that noise. That dickface wasn’t ballsy, he was a dumbass. I was about to knock that fucker into next week.” Jensen bragged with a mouth full of roast beef.

Jensen craned his neck and looked into the living room to see for himself that the boys were distracted before he continued mouthing off. Cougar and Pooch caught their friend’s parental concern and were both amused with the new semi-responsible “stepdad Jensen.”

“My girl kicked ass during that bullshit interview. He was stupid showing up here. I showed him who runs this town.” Jensen continued and gave Pooch a brotherly slap on the back. “I had everything completely under control. That pretty boy isn’t gunna be messing with us again. Mark my words. He had no idea who he was messing with…”

Jensen continued to boast and exaggerate his role in the whole debacle, but Cougar seemed to know better and gave Quinn a sympathetic nod.

Based on Cougar's sad knowing eyes, Quinn figured that Jensen must have already told his old friend the whole story. Jensen and Cougar were the best of friends so she figured that Jensen was probably more humble and truthful with him. Cougar knew him well and there wasn’t much that Jensen could slip past him.

Quinn smiled warmly back at Cougar. She’s always had a soft spot for Carlos Alvarez. He was one of the best listeners that Quinn had ever met and she was thankful that Jensen had him to turn to. Cougar knew all too well about Jensen’s fucked up history with his parents and would understand how hard it would be for Jensen to stay in control that night.

It was no secret that Jensen desperately wanted payback for the beating that Quinn had endured years ago at the hands of her ex husband. Suddenly Ryan had been standing right there in front of him and Jensen could taste his vengeance. But somehow Jensen had managed to restrain himself and do what was best for everyone. For Jensen, thinking and acting like a father was such an honest reflex for him. Quinn had been so proud of him that night for holding back his rage for the sake of his family.

Ryan, on the other hand, had not made it easy for him. Ryan had egged him on and had been practically begging for a beat down and Jensen had almost given him one. Especially after Ryan had lost his temper and had yelled at her right in front of him. But Quinn had believed in Jensen and knew that he wouldn't leave his family vulnerable by spending the night in jail for that asshole.

Jensen would never let Ryan hurt her, but he had also promised her that there would never be any violence in their home and she loved him for keeping his word. Especially since she had been on the verge of clawing Ryan’s eyes out herself.

But that didn’t mean that Jensen wouldn’t have loved it if Ryan had taken the first swing at him or had tried to touch her in any way. Then all bets would have been off. Payback was one thing, but Jensen defending her or himself would have been something else entirely. It would have been ugly since Ryan stupidly underestimated Jensen. Ryan had been so cocky. There was no way that he physically stood a chance against a highly-trained, special forces solider. Quinn had sat at this very table and had listened to many of the team's war stories. Jensen was so much more than just a computer genius.

She often wondered how she would have reacted if Ryan had done more then taunted Jensen that night. Just the thought of anyone laying a hand on Jensen made Quinn’s blood boil, but she had a strong feeling that Jensen would have gladly taken the hit if it had given him the green light to beat the crap out of Ryan.

“....naw, that rich prick was shakin’ in his overpriced designer loafers. He ran home cryin’ to his Mommy. Poor guy though, I wouldn’t be surprised if that bitch didn’t eat her young.” Jensen ranted.

Clay was used to Jensen’s antics and ignored all of his loud grandstanding and instead stared at Quinn and stewed in his chair. He sat there stone faced and waited to hear from Quinn a more accurate depiction of what had happened.

Quinn that knew her brother would react badly to Ryan's unexpected visit. Clay had tried so hard to foal her ex husband's plans from the beginning. Knowing that all his efforts didn’t pan out must be a hard pill for him to swallow. Then, on top of his failure, her not telling him that Ryan had come to her home to start trouble, was just adding insult to injury.

Clay had a sordid history of overstepping where protecting his little sister was concerned. But it was always out of love for Quinn and his nephews. He has been trying to keep them safe for years. Just thinking about that ambush interview on live tv that sought to make Quinn look like an unfit mother infuriated him. Clay had miscalculated and thought he'd had more time to deal with her ex mother in law before she drew first blood.

Quinn was his only family and protecting her was his first priority. Failure was not an option when it came to his family and letting her down didn’t sit right with him. He had failed her the night that Ryan had attacked her, years ago. But then, on top of that, not killing Wade the second he'd touched her in that hotel hallway was too much for him to handle. The incident still kept him up at night and Clay was dying to get his hands on him.

Quinn tried not to shrink under her brother's cold intimidating stare, but she was starting to feel guilty. She should have kept Clay in the loop, but this sour reaction was exactly why didn’t didn’t tell him about Ryan’s visit.

Jensen was still loudly inflating his ego with Pooch and Cougar when Quinn leaned towards her brother to quietly try and explain.

“All Ryan did essentially was show up here, freak me out, then get tripped up in all his lies. He confessed, like a fucking idiot, that he was behind his mother’s plan to take the boys in the first place,” she whispered to Clay to try and appease him.

“I suspected as much.”

“Well, ya coulda filled _ me _ in.” Quinn mumbled under her breath and took a giant gulp of her wine.

When she got the same no nonsense raised eyebrow from Clay, she took another big gulp of wine and finished off her glass. She knew that what she was about to say next was going to leave a bad taste in her mouth and was raised not to waste good wine. That and a little liquid courage never hurt.

“The messed up thing was...he wanted me  _ back. _ That’s how this started. Five years after he tried to kill me and Jack, I started dating again and the fucker actually thought he stood a chance with me.” She shivered at the thought. “What a douchebag.”

“Careful, you're starting to sound just like Jensen.” Clay snarled.

“Aww! Thank you.”

Clay didn’t meant as a compliment, but Quinn gave her brother a big fake smile as she sarcastically thanked him.

Clay’s face softened slightly, but he tried not to smile back at her. He was struggling to remain expressionless and stay in control, but his little sister has always been his soft spot. He wasn’t sure what it was, but every Quinn stood up to him, he loved her a little bit more than he did before.

“Well obviously ‘the douchebag’ didn’t get you back…”

“Fuck no. And like the moron he is, he thought that manipulating and blackmailing me was the best way to do it. Yeah, that kinda shit really makes me go all heart eyes.” she scoffed. “He’s a spoiled brat, he just wanted what he couldn’t have.”

“You really know how to pick ‘em huh?”

“I picked him and got Coop and Jack outta the whole mess, so let’s not go there...”

Clay nodded his head in agreement and craned his neck to check on Mallory and his nephews and they were still having a great time.

“...besides, I’m learning from my mistakes. I got a big do over with Jensen. He’s nothing like the douchebag.”

Clay huffed and rolled his eyes. “So what was the douchebag’s big play?”

“Ryan was going to basically have his mother hold the kids as ransom to get me to break up with Jensen. But his mother outsmarted him and used his scheme to her own advantage. She played on his feelings for me ... and now he’s stuck working for her.”

“Good,” was all Clay said before he stuffed a whole piece of roast beef into his mouth.

“Well, she still owns my publishing house so, technically, I’m working for too, so let’s not get too cocky…”

“We’re working on it.” Clay flatly stated and kept eating.

She suspected as much. Clay and her agent Charlie had developed an odd friendship of sorts in New York. Of course they remained in touch since then.

Quinn could tell that her brother was still pissed by the way that he aggressively chewed his food while stared at her. He must have sensed that it wasn’t the end of the story and motioned for her to continue.

Quinn chewed on the inside of her cheek and shimmied her chair closer to her brother to gain as much privacy as possible at her crowded dining room table. The rest of the men were playfully challenging Jensen’s version of events and Jensen deflected their jokes and doubled down with more dragging.

“Well, it was a stupid plan,” Quinn explained in a hushed voice. “He admitted that he sent his mom after me in the first place. But when he saw that Catherine had turned the tables on him, he switched gears.” The more that Quinn remembered that night the angrier she got. She inhaled deeply from her nose and clenched her fists. The indignity she endured still pissed her off.

“He must had fucking loved all the begging I did. I begged that douchebag to go back to work for C&A. Those Kryon assholes were going to take Coop and Jack so I had to dance liked a trained fucking monkey. Ryan played along and enjoyed the show then he, benevolently, agreed to stop Catherine. But we now know that it wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart, he did it to be my hero and ‘ _ saved me. _ ’’ Quinn placed the back of her hand on her forehead and pretend to faint and Clay tried not to laugh and instead rolled his eyes at her.

“Catherine fucked him and he thought he could salvage his fuck up and make it look like he single handedly stopped those Kryon goons from taking the kids. But when I didn’t fall to my knees and suck his d-”

Clay cleared his throat and Quinn didn’t finish her sentence.

“When I wasn’t  _ ‘sufficiently grateful,’”  _ Quinn rephrased. “He pulled out the trust fund for the boys that apparently started this whole mess. He had it drawn up to peek Catherine’s interest in the kids in the first place.”

“Figures. Like a shark smelling blood in the water.” Clay whispered back and filled his sister's wine glass.

“Exactly. He might as well have drawn a giant cartoon bullseye on their backs. If the kids were worth big money then of course that crazy greedy bitch was going to try and get it. But in the end, she wanted Ryan to work for her more than she wanted the money. But I knew that she would never stop trying to take the kids if that money was still in play, so I pretty much told him to shove his family’s money up his ass.”

“Atta girl.” Clay chuckled.

“His plan B...or more like plan C, at this point, was to buy me. I’ll give it to him, Ryan tried  _ everything.  _ In the end, he even played the biological dad card...then he tried to pick a fight with Jensen.” she regretfully sighed.

“Does this story have a happy ending? Tell me Jensen kicked his ass?”

“No. He wanted to. Hell, _ I _ wanted to. Even Annie was waiting behind my front door with a baseball bat!” she chuckled. “But you know how full of shit Ryan is. He has this dickhead theory that I’m with a violent guy and that I wasn’t safe with Jensen. He probably had the cops and an expensive injury lawyer on speed dial to try and ruin his life.”

"He tried to convince you that  _ Jensen  _ was a violent guy?” Clay incredulously asked.

As if on cue, the two of them looked up in time to watch Jensen and Pooch start to throw their dinner rolls at each other.

“Yeah, he's a real menace to society.” Clay was pleased to have made his sister smile.

Clay caught the adoring way that his sister was looking at his comms and tech officer and cleared his throat loud enough to make the men stop acting like children and to get Quinn to snap out of it. She was crazy about him, Clay couldn't deny it. She'd never looked at Ryan like that.

“Well, Jensen is smarter than that. He didn’t take the bait. If he had, Ryan would have used it against us somehow, I just know it.” she continued quietly. “It wasn’t a fun night, but we got through it together...and now Jensen and I are living together...officially.”

Quinn was right, if Ryan had thought that all his garbage was going to tear them apart he was sorely mistaken. Jensen and Quinn were closer than ever and their latest announcement only served to prove that. Clay knew that he would have to find a way to get over it. She was in a serious committed long term relationship. He didn’t like it, but she could do worse than Jensen, he told himself.

But having Jensen serving under his command created so many unforeseen problems. If anything happened to his sister's boyfriend on a mission, it just compounded Clay’s feelings of responsibility and possible guilt. When they were out in the field, he needed his head in the game and not worrying about what it would do to Quinn or his nephews if something happen to Jensen. Clay was a pro on compartmentalizing his feelings, he hoped that when it came to Quinn, matters concerning her wellbeing weren’t the exception to the rule.

Quinn reached over and took her brother's hand and mouthed, “I’m sorry, for not telling you.”

Any softness in Clay’s face vanished as he stubbornly considered her apology.

“Don’t be mad at  _ meeee _ .” she playfully whined and stuck her bottom lip out.

Clay was trying not to crack, but then she and gave him her best sad puppy dog face and pretended to whimper.

That did it. Her cuteness broke him and he gave her his famous bright Franklin Clay smile and squeezed her hand.  

“Are you okay, kid?” he asked after a long pause. “That’s really all that matters to me.”

Jensen stopped laughing with Pooch at the other end of the table and perked up to hear her answer.

“I’m better than okay. Didn’t you hear? I had my own badass  _ spikey blonde hedgehog _ there to protect me. He  _ ‘showed him who runs this town.’ _ ” she mimicked loudly for the rest of the table to hear.

Her Jensen impression was getting pretty good, she even got Roque to puff out a reluctant laugh.

“Heeey!” Jensen whined and caught the dinner roll that Pooch tossed back at him. “Quit talkin’ about my chick like she’s some damsel in distress. My chick’s a badass, the ‘ _ spiky blonde hedgehog’ _ is just her sidekick, don’t get it twisted.”

“If you ever hear from Ryan or any member of his family again, I want to know about it.” Clay ignored Jensen’s cuteness and turned in his chair to face his sister.

“Sure thing, old man.”

“I mean it, Quinn.” Clay looked her in the eye and kept his voice serious and stern. “You don’t have the greatest track record for keeping me in the loop.”

“I’m a big girl, Franklin. Jensen and I have everything covered, but I promise. I’ll keep you in the loop... _ if _ there ever is a next time.”

“Which there  _ won’t _ be!” Jensen reaffirmed.

“There used to be a time when I  **_was_ ** the loop.” Clay’s voice had a bitter edge to it that pissed Quinn off.

“Yeah, there was a time when you were running things and how did that turn out? Did you keep  _ me _ in the loop?” Quinn narrowed her eyes at her brother and watched him pale and swallow hard.

Clay knew what she was referring to, so did the rest of the table. Not only did Clay fail to mention to her and Jensen that Ryan’s mother was trying to get custody of their kids, but Quinn only recently found out that Clay went behind her back years ago and threatened Ryan's life to force him to sign away his parental rights to Cooper and Jackson. She was happy with the outcome of each betrayal, but needless to say, she was not impressed with Clay’s tactics.

The two of them would forever be the soldier and the peacemaker.  Clay would fight every single one of her battles for her whether she liked it or not and she would always forgive his transgressions for the greater good. That was simply her nature not to hold grudges. But she was a long way away from forgetting how meddlesome Clay could be. She wondered if she would ever find a way to accept how relentlessly overprotective he was.

But he was her brother, he would always be an important part of her life and she had to admit that her life was much better with him in it.

“So you hate me now? Is that it? God damn it, Quinn.” Clay was defensive and sat up straighter. “How did I become the enemy here? Can’t you see that I was trying to help.”

“I don’t hate you, you big dummy! I love you!” Quinn shouted and threw her dinner roll at him. He caught it and heard Jensen try and stifle his surprised laughter.  

All eyes were quietly on them for a moment or two until Clay finally cracked a smile and took a big bite of her roll and started to shovel the rest his dinner into his mouth.

“This is good, by the way.” he mumbled through a mouthful of food. “Congrats on the hedgehog moving in. He’s your problem now.”

“Wow! Look at that.” Pooch called out. “Hey Clay, if I call you stupid and tell you that I love you will that get me outta some shit?” he sarcastically teased. “What if I throw food at you? Cause I’m sure I’ll do something one day that I need to be forgiven for. So thanks for that, Quinn. That was helpful. I gotta remember that one.”

Quinn winked at Pooch to thank him for trying to break the tension, but Clay raised an eyebrow and glared at him until he put him back in his place. Quinn hated that Clay was being such a stick in the mud and impulsively flicked a spoonful of mashed potatoes at him, hitting the lapel of his black suit jacket.

“Did you seriously just do that? How old are you?”

“Whadda gunna do, old man? Court martial me?” Quinn petulantly challenged through her giggles.

“No, but I could still court martial your sidekick.” Clay was trying to sound scary, but Quinn knew he was joking.

“Whoa whoa. Boss, I’ve never seen this chick before in my life!” Jensen teased and tried to flick some of his mash potatoes at Quinn, but couldn’t quite hit his target. Instead it splattered on the table in front of her plate.

Quinn was shocked and mocked outrage at Jensen’s “betrayal” and scooped up the rest of her mashed potatoes from her plate with her fingers and launched them at him, having much better luck than he did.

She was practically falling off her chair laughing as he tried to wipe the goopy substance off his glasses and face.

Her laughter was quickly interrupted by Cougar pelleting her with the leftover broccoli from his plate. Soon Pooch and Jensen joined it and it was on like Donkey Kong. Clay and Roque knew where this was heading and were slowly retreating into the living room to avoid any friendly fire as an all out food fight broke out in Quinn’s dining room.

He was way too cool for school, but Clay couldn’t help but enjoy watching his sister laugh and squeal. He might not have approved of her and Jensen at the beginning, but he had to admit that he has never seen his little sister happier. He was going to have to find a way to make peace with Jensen being both a valuable asset to his sister and to the team. But he was still going to send her his dry cleaning bill.

Things in her dining room were completely out of control, but Quinn could see her future with Jensen clearly, and so far, she loved what she saw. Before him, there had been no way that she would be fishing pieces of roast beef out of her bra or chasing a highly trained sniper down with a gravy boat.

Before Jensen, her face hadn't hurt from laughing so much like it was right there in middle of their warzone of a dining room.

Cooper and Jackson ran into the chaos and were horrified by the mess that the adults were making and tried to chastise them. They were busted, but their parents regretted nothing.

Quinn would deal with the mess later, because this was exactly the way that she and Jensen should be celebrating them moving in together. She just hoped that their neighbours didn’t issue them with a noise complaint.

Jensen was still roaring with laughter when he charged at her and scooped her up into his arms. He lifted her feet off the ground and crushed his lips against hers. She kissed him back and she realized that her mashed potatoes had never tasted as good as they did when she was kissing them off her spikes blonde hedgehog's lips.


	4. "Special Ops"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their impromptu food fight, the team have a little fun at Jensen and Quinn's condo. But not everyone is having a great time.

 

“Congratulations, Manita.”  
  
Cougar whispered his well wishes in Quinn’s ear as he gave her a warm hug and kissed her cheek. She hugged him back and giggled when noticed that his damp hair still vaguely smelled like her gravy.

The dinner party that Jensen and Quinn had hosted to announce that they were moving in together, had turned into an all out food fight and no one had been spared. Luckily, she and Jensen had a change of clothes, but poor Cougar had to rinse his hair in their sink.

“Thank you, Carlos. He’s been pretty much living here for months, but we’re really excited to get his place sold and start this new chapter of our lives...Gosh! That sounded really sappy didn’t it!” She blushed. “But he belongs here, it was time.”

Cougar smiled and nodded his head in agreement. A playful twinkle in his deep brown eyes conveyed how happy he was for the two of them.

He brought her chin up with his fingers and looked her in the eye for a moment before he spoke.  
“He loves you very much, Quinn.” he stated in a soft deep voice.

“I hope so cause I’m kinda crazy about the kid myself.” she beamed and winked up at her kindhearted friend.

Cougar gave her a warm lopsided smile and tipped his hat to her.

Cougars approval gave Quinn a warm peaceful feeling. He would always be a man of few words, but every time Cougar did speak, his words always held a special importance. He’d been rooting for her and Jensen from the start and she could tell that he was genuinely happy for both of them. Carlos was really more than just a friend to them, he was truly a part of their family. For a second, she almost felt bad about dumping gravy all over his head.

Cooper and Jackson ran up to them and started tugging on their Uncle Cougar's arm and begged him to go play outside with them. Cougar took a moment and tried play it cool, but Quinn knew that he was a gonner. There wasn’t much that Uncle Cougar wouldn’t do for those two boys and as hesitant as he pretended to be he truthfully couldn’t get outside with them fast enough.

Quinn puffed out a loud laugh when it looked like she had three kids looking to her for permission to go and play.

“No way! He’s playing with me! Go find your own Cougar!” Quinn teased and grabbed ahold of Cougars other arm.

“Mommmmy!” the two boys whined in unison.

Cougar let out an uncharacteristically loud laugh and played along and pretend to be torn between Quinn on one arm and the two boys on his other.

“It’s our turn, Mommy. You and Daddy got to play with him at dinner remember?” Cooper reminded her through his gritted teeth.

“Messy Mommy! You’s in trouble!” Jackson giggled, referring to the adults, impromptu food fight.

The boys tugged with all their might and were sliding across the floor during their little tug war. Quinn was giggling and pretending not to give up as Cougar wore an exaggeratedly pained expression.

“Let’s let Uncle Cougar choose who he wants to play with!” Cooper decided.

“Oh no no no, little one.” Cougar pleaded. “Don't make me choose between you and your brother and your sweet mother.”

“Pick us! Pick us!” Jackson chanted as he bounced up and down.

“We won't throw gravy on your head like Mommy did!” Cooper promised.

Both Quinn and Cougar doubled over laughing at the boys and their earnest little faces. Of course Cougar was going to choose them, she didn’t stand a chance against their cuteness.

They looked up at Cougar like he hung the moon. Between Jensen, Pooch and their uncle Clay, her kids had so many worthy heroes to choose from, it was an embarrassment of riches. Moving to New Hampshire from Los Angeles had been such a wonderful idea. Not only had Quinn met the love of her life, but she had expanded her family in ways that she could never have dreamed of.

“Okay, okay. I give up. You win this round, kiddos! You can have him.” Quinn playfully surrendered. “Go have fun outside and I’ll bring you out some cake.”

Cougar gave Quinn a happy knowing smile and kissed her cheek as the kids cheered over their victory. But before he left with the boys, Cougar couldn’t resist laying on some of his classic Cougar charm.

“I would have chosen you, Manita.” he whispered with a flirtatious smile.

“Liar.” Quinn teased back with laughter in her voice. “Be good, boys, and listen to your Uncle Cougar. He might teach ya a few things,” she added with a wink to her friend.

The three of them took off and out of the corner of her eyes she saw Cougar scoop Jack up into his arms and high five Cooper. She smiled to herself and set out to get the boys their dessert. She was passing the living room when she overheard Jensen taunting and teasing Pooch into eating another slice of cake and shook her head.

After a day of wedding cake tasting, poor Pooch looked like he was turning green. But that didn’t stop Jensen from playfully moaning over how delicious his cake tasted and waving a slice front of his friend's face.

“Hmmmm. Come on, Pooch, you know you want some. This one has your name on it! It’s so sweet and fluffy!” Jensen couldn’t finish his act of moaning and rubbing his tummy because poor Pooch began to gag. Jensen nearly choked on his cake and doubled over laughing at his friend.

Quinn was just about to call Jensen a bully when Pooch started shouting at him.

“Not cool, man!” Pooch turned away and dry heaved. “I don’t ever wanna hear you bitch about Quinn not marrying you again, dude! You don’t know how good you have it, dumbass. This wedding planning shit isn’t as fun as you think it is!” Pooch covered his mouth with one hand and held his stomach with the other and ran towards their hallway bathroom.

Jensen’s hysterical laughter slowly trailed into more of an awkward chuckle, when he saw that Quinn was in earshot and had overheard what Pooch had said. Quinn could barely look in him in the eye and Jensen felt like an ass for having a hand in freaking her out. She looked like she was going to be sick right alongside Pooch.

Even though Jensen hadn’t brought up marriage with Quinn in awhile, he knew that it was a sore subject. Jensen moving in and becoming the boys' stepdad was one thing, but the two of them making it legal and getting married was something else entirely. Sadly, Jensen figured that nothing had changed since he overheard the conversation she had with accountant the other day.

He knew Quinn’s history and understood that her ex had burned her pretty bad and, as a result, she didn’t have much faith in “till death you part.” Quinn wasn’t ready to tie the knot and, the thought of pushing her into something that she didn’t want, made Jensen sick to his stomach. He tried not to take it personally, but deep down it stung.

Their family was unconventional and there was a big part of him that was proud of that fact. They did things their own way and didn’t give a fuck what other people thought. Jensen was happy and he tried to keep reminding himself of the fact when he hit the same martial brick wall with Quinn. He essentially had everything that he’d ever wanted and he knew that the two of them were the real deal. Quinn was the chick that he was going to grow old with and annoy for the rest of his life, vows or no vows. He was hers for as long as she’d have him. But having said all that, he had to admit that there was something about being able to call Quinn his wife one day that made him feel giddy inside.

Quinn stood there frozen with a deep blush burning on her cheeks. She was embarrassed and caught off guard. If felt as if she had been called out and she didn’t know what to say. Having another wedding terrified her, but she knew that marriage was something that Jensen wanted in the future. His blue eyes would always light up at whenever the subject came up, but he hadn’t gone through the same experience that she had.

They had tabled the idea for the time being and had agreed to focus on the move and making sure that the boys were okay and stable after her book tour. The boys had gone through so many big changes that year. She and Jensen were of the same mind, or so she'd thought; Jensen hadn’t even brought the subject up in awhile. Quinn had thought that they were both happy; she'd had no idea that Jensen was complaining to his friends about her cold feet.

The more she thought about it, she realized she was a little mad to discover that he had been sharing such personal details of their life with his friends, but, mostly, she was sad that he felt the need to complain about her to someone else in the first place. It killed her to think she was keeping him from being as happy as he could be, but that wasn’t enough for her to agree to skip down the aisle with him.

Jensen sat in the living room and looked terribly sorry for his indiscretion. His eyebrows made that worried V shape that always broke her heart. Quinn forgave him and gave him a small understanding smile to let him know that he was off the hook. She knew that they should talk about marriage again soon, but she just couldn’t bring herself to disappoint him.

Seeing Jensen start to stand up, Quinn panicked and turned on her heel. Calling over her shoulder that she was going to check on Pooch in their bathroom to see if he needed anything.

After checking on Pooch and coming up with excuses not to spend alone time with Jensen, Quinn went to clean up the aftermath of their food fight but was surprised to find that the guys had already cleared up most of the carnage without her having to ask them.

While she was busy with the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, the kids came back inside to drag the rest of the guys outside into the backyard to play with them and enjoy the mild night. It was obvious to all of them that, Cooper and Jackson had those big, bad men wrapped around their little fingers. She was grateful that the guys were willing to play with them and help work off their sugar highs before bedtime.

It felt great to have everyone over. Their condo felt smaller and a little crowded, but they were one big family. There was so much going on as everyone socialized. Pooch and Jensen made up after he came out of the bathroom, but Mallory and Clay still seemed tense with each other. It was too bad that Roque had been glued to his phone all night because everyone else seemed to be having a great time horsing around with the boys and the dogs.

When the party moved outside, Quinn could hear everyone laughing and having a good time from the kitchen. She started to feel lonely and left out, she decided to put off the dishes and seek out some human interaction. She was curious to find out what everyone was up to outside.

Stepping out onto the patio, she peeked around and noticed that Clay and Mallory were having a heated conversation on the back of the patio and her heart sank. Witnessing their drama made Quinn uncomfortable and she considered going back inside and finishing the dishes. Housework seemed like more fun.

Mallory’s body language screamed that she was still not happy with Clay at all. Quinn tried not to listen in, but overheard her friend say _“I don’t give a shit, after everything she has been through you don’t get to talk to her that way.”_ Quinn assumed that Mallory was defending her and that just added to her feelings of awkwardness. It was times like this when Quinn appreciated Mallory’s decision to keep her relationship with Clay private and exclude her from any girl talk about the men in their lives. Mixing friendship with family, made things a little more complicated.

Clay looked over to her, then, and the sadness on her brothers face made Quinn’s heart hurt. She gave him a tight, understanding smile before she looked out into the yard and pretended not to hear them quarrel. Strangely enough, Cougar and the kids were nowhere to be seen. The boys would have made a pretty good buffer at the moment. She glanced over to Roque, but he was no help. He was still in his own world, drinking one of Jensen’s beers and texting on his phone. He looked up briefly and rolled his eyes in Clay’s direction. He was trying to tune them out as well.

Quinn sighed and focused her attention out to the yard where her very happy boyfriend was bouncing around playing with their dogs. She took a deep cleansing breath and started to feel a lot better. Jensen was always her happy place, especially when being absolutely off the charts adorable. What was it with hot guys and puppies?

Jensen and Pooch were out on the grass playing tug a war and fetch with the two little dogs. Daisy, her French bulldog, and Duke, Jensen’s Boston terrier. Ironically, the dogs always took to Pooch and had barely left his side since he showed up for dinner. The little dogs looked like they were enjoying the attention and barely noticed her presence.

Jensen was running around and laughing loudly as Duke dangled from a doggie rope toy. Duke had a vice like grip on his toy and loved it when Jensen swung him around by the end of it. The poor pup always got dizzy afterwards, but never failed to come back looking for more. Jensen was usually happy to oblige until he got dizzy as well.

Jensen was reaching that point when he looked up and noticed that Quinn was outside on the patio watching them. He dropped the toy, and the dog, and jogged up the patio steps two at a time before, in one impressive fluid motion, he sat down in one of their big patio chairs and pulled her into his lap.

“Gettin’ dizzy there, soldier?”

“Yup!” he answered popping the P at the end. “He’s relentless! I swear he’s part pit bull.”

“I like pitbulls.” Quinn stated and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Is there a dog that you don’t like?” Jensen teased, more of of statement than a question.

“Good point.” She giggled. She kissed his cheek and got more comfortable in his lap.

Duke hadn’t missed a beat and had brought his rope toy over to Pooch and was waiting for him forget about Daisy and play with him instead.

“They're puttin’ ya to work!” Jensen called down to his friend with laughter in his voice.

Jensen and Quinn giggled together as they watched Pooch try to swing Duke on his rope and play fetch with Daisy at the same time. Pooch was a good sport and did his best.

“Thanks for dinner, Mama Bear.” Jensen cooed quietly into her ear as she watched the little dog show going on in their backyard.

She still had no idea where Cooper and Jackson were, but trusted that they were fine if they were with Cougar. She has trusted Cougar with Jensen’s life many times and knew that her kids were in good hands.

“You’re very welcome, Papa Bear,” she sighed and rested her head on top of his.

“Sorry that most of it ended up on ceiling,” he apologized as he rubbed her leg. “It was good though.”

“Ha! Thanks for cleaning that up by the way, that was unexpected. You shoulda left it for me. I drew first blood as I recall.”

“Naw, that’s okay. It was totally worth it. I’ve never seen anyone fuck with Clay like that and live to tell the tale. You’re one badass chick, Qball, I’ll give ya that. I’m not with ya for nuttin’.” he teased and squeezed her thigh.

“I’m sorry about Pooch and all that wedding talk...” he added quietly and softly kissed the inside of her neck. He ran his nose down her throat and his large hand found it’s way between her two thighs. Jensen made her feel so glowy and happy inside. She had forgiven his indiscretion a while ago, but was enjoying his apology.

Mallory and Clay had made their way inside and Roque was still on the other side of the patio on his phone, but, in all honesty, she couldn’t care less if anyone saw them. She slipped her hand inside his shirt and let her fingers skirt down his abs and across his tummy.

“Did you wanna pretend like we’re both adults and talk about it?” Jensen asked against her neck.

“Nope!” she teased and rubbed her nose against his. “Let’s just avoid all of our issues and hope that they just go away.”

“Sounds like a plan, babe.” Jensen barked out a loud laugh and his blue eyes twinkled with all the love and happiness in his heart. He was so beautiful that he took her breath away.

Jensen bright smile gave her butterflies in her stomach. The good kind of butterflies. The kind that made her wonder if marrying him wasn’t the worst idea in the world. It would make him so happy and there wasn’t much that she wouldn’t do to keep that happy twinkle in his eye.

What was the big deal, she asked herself. In her heart she was already his wife and she had already considered him her husband or “life partner” for awhile now.

He continued to run his lips down the side of her neck and she felt all of her fear melting away. She wanted to grow old with this man, what difference did it make if they were married or not?

She sat there in his lap and let herself envision becoming _“Mrs. Quinn Jensen”_ and loved the way that her new name sounded in her head. But then, logically, her next thought was giving Jensen the dream wedding that he’s always wanted and she shuddered. Just the idea of another wedding filled her heart with dread. She felt her happy fantasies slip away and become replaced by anxiety and trepidation. She tried to breathe and stay in the moment and focus on the loving attention that Jensen was showering on her. She closed her eyes and focused on him and the way he smelled and how warm his hand felt holding her leg.

“I love you so much, J. I always will,” she whispered. “You smell so good.”

“Hmmmm. You kinda smell like roast beef, Qball… I likey.” he moaned and bite down playfully on her neck. She squealed and squirmed in his lap, but he held on to her tighter to keep her still.

He took a quick, sly look around before he did it again, this time a little harder. She moaned softly as he added a lingering kiss and a lick where he bit her.

She looked down into his blue eyes and held his sexy playful gaze. She knew where this was going, but unfortunately they still had a full house. But he was being naughty and kept eye contact, refusing to look away. Between the way he was looking and her and the way he continued to rub and squeeze her inner thigh, she was seconds away from sending everyone home.

She faintly heard the boys snickering somewhere in the yard and Quinn remembered where she was.

“Down, boy.” she whispered and positioned herself away from his growing erection.

“Thanks… Yeah. That’s gunna be a problem.”

“Want me to get off you?” she offered

“Naw, I got this covered. I’m not a fifteen year old boy.”

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths while she pressed her lips together and tried not to laugh at him. Having Jensen use his teeth on her was her kink. Maybe biting her was slowing becoming his? She was sorry that he was currently in this potentially embarrassing predicament, but was thankful that he had managed to shake her out of her dark thoughts.

“Okay. I’m all good. Crisis averted.” Jensen happily stated after a few deep breaths. “Are you all set for Alyssa's game tomorrow, Coach Andrews?” he asked, trying to change the subject to something a little less arousing.

Then he started to think about Quinn in her little Petunia's coach's outfit and wondered if he had made a terrible mistake.

“Jack and I already loaded up the truck-”

“Oh shit, watch out! INCOMING!!!!”

Jensen cut her off and pulled her tight against his chest. He saw something out in the yard that had him giggling like a little kid. With the way that he was holding her, she had no idea what was going on, until a second later, when they were hit with a barrage of little NERF darts.

“We’re hit! We’re hit! Send for the medic and reinforcements.” Jensen called out through his laugher.

“I guess we know what Cougar and the boys were up to, huh?” She giggled.

Quinn peeked out from Jensen’s arm and found out where her little troublemakers were causing all their mischief.  
  
Cougar must have helped the boys get on the top of their monkey bars on their swing set because there was no way that they could have gotten up there by themselves. The two boys looked absolutely thrilled that they had pulled one over on their parents. Cougar, on the other hand, was very proud and impressed that his pupils had actually hit their targets from such a distance.

Apparently, Cougar, the expert sniper, was teaching them the tricks of the trade and had found them the highest vantage point in the whole backyard. He was even letting her 5 year old son Jack wear his large cowboy hat, though Jack could barely see past the floppy brim. They all high fived each other in celebration and reloaded their NERF guns.

“My little punks!” Jensen laughed.

Cougar gave Jensen and Quinn a warm mischievous smile and went back to coaching the kids on how to line up their targets and aim properly. All of Cougar's tutoring was simply adorable, he really had a soft spot for her kids and it showed. In fact, with the exception of Roque, all of the members of Clay’s team seemed to share a soft spot for her kids. Quinn loved witnessing the sweeter sides of these big, "bad", army men.

Cooper and Jack were hanging on their Uncle Cougar's every word and instruction. They were both taking their lessons very seriously and decided that their Uncle Pooch was going to be their next target.

Pooch overheard their plans and played along and scooped up the two dogs to shield them from their imminent playful attack. Quinn wished that she had her phone out to take of video of Pooch dramatically getting shot by NERF darts and falling down to the ground. Shakespearian actors had nothing on Linwood Porteous. The boys giggled and cheered as their uncle “died” tragically in slow motion and their dogs sniffed and licked at him laying on the ground. Eventually, Daisy gave up and ran away, but Duke climbed on top of Pooch’s back and made a comfortable bed for himself between Pooch’s shoulder blades.

Jensen and Quinn assumed they were safe up on the patio until they saw Roque get hit in the head by a stray nerf dart. Roque huffed looked up from his phone unimpressed and rolled his eyes.

Quinn pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. She was trying to be polite, because Roque was not exactly kid friendly. Jensen on the other hand completely lost it and laughed loudly into her neck as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen in his life.

Quinn was just about to give the boys a warning and ask them to be more careful, but before she could speak, they fired their guns again and this time got Roque right in the eye.

Roque held his hand over his eye and shot Jensen a dirty look, but Jensen couldn’t breathe he was laughing so hard.

“That’s mah boys!” Jensen called out with tears running down his face.

“Sorry, Mr. Roque!” Cooper called out.

“Sworry.” Little Jackson mirrored his brothers manners while Cougar smirked and handed him more NERF gun darts.

“I guess that’s my cue to call it a night.” Roque stood up to leave, but had to blink a few times and Jensen didn’t even try to stifle his giggles.

“Sorry about that.” Quinn apologized and gave Jensen a little smack to get him to stop laughing. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. The little rug rats have terrible aim. They must take after their papa.”

“That they do.” She smiled with pride from Jensen lap. She wrapped her arms tightly around Jensen’s neck and gave him a loud kiss on his cheek.

“Thanks for dinner, Quinn.” Roque said with a nod. “Congrats on the move, Jensen.”

“Thank you.” Quinn accepted Roques well wishes and smiled up at him.

“Naw naw, Congrats to Jensen. You get my condolences.” Roque clarified with a straight face.

“Night, brother.” Jensen said as he puffed out a laugh and offered Roque his fist.

“Lucky sonofabitch.” Roque muttered under his breath and gave Jensen a fist bump.

Quinn was about to get up to show Roque out, but he motioned for her to stay where she was. Jensen took to the opportunity to pull her closer and poke and tickle at her side.

“Have a good night…” she called out to Roque back through her squeals and protests.

The sun was starting to set and the backyard was filled with the sounds of laughter. Everyone, beside Clay and Mallory, were having a great time playing their own version of “army guys” with the kids. Pooch and Cougar were out in the yard laughing and horsing around with the boys and planning their own “special ops mission” as she and Jensen watched and cuddled from the patio. It was a great show to watch, they were both so proud of their little family.

Quinn made a mental note to have regular “family” dinners more often. Goofy Special Ops looked good on the team. She didn’t mind keeping the boys up a little bit later than usual, they were making important memories with their uncles.

Quinn looked around for her brother and Mallory, but they were nowhere to be seen. They should see the boys in action. Quinn gave Jensen a quick kiss and set out to find them and her phone so she could take pictures of all the fun. Jensen sprang into action the second she was off his lap and used his athletic prowess to swiftly climb up the jungle gym to play beside Cougar and the boys. He was adorable and handed Cooper a pretend walkie talkie.

Quinn could hear Jensen calling out control signs as she made her way through her patio doors and into her living room. But she stopped dead in her tracks and her eyes went wide when she heard Mallory and Clay shouting in her kitchen.

_“Again? Again, Clay!”_

Mallory was finishing her dishes for her and sounded so angry, it made the hairs on the back of Quinn’s neck stand up. Oh shit!

_“Keep your goddamn voice down. This is my sister’s fucking house.”_

Quinn held her breath and didn’t know what to she should do. She hated the way that Clay was talking to Mallory, but she wasn’t sure if it was her place to intervene. If she had heard any other person talking to her friend like that, she would have kicked them out of her house. But loyalties got a little blurry since Clay was her brother.

_“NO! This is my best friends house! Or have you forgotten that? She’s my best fucking friend Franklin, and I haven’t really spoken to her in months because of you!”_

Mallory was one of the toughest people she had ever met and could more then hold her own against any man. But it didn’t make Quinn feel any better about the two of them going toe to toe in her kitchen.

_“That’s a crock. I’m not stopping you from doing anything. What was that book tour the two of you just went on, huh?”_

_“Oh, the book tour where you had me lie to her the whole fucking time?”_ Mallory scoffed.

Quinn was still a little pissed about that, but was slowly letting it go. She wasn’t sure what she hated more: being kept in the dark or that, in the end, Clay was probably right? If Mallory had told Quinn that her ex mother in law was trying to take her kids away from her, Quinn would have lost her mind and surely tipped them off and made things worse.

 _“You know why -”_ Clay started slowly but got cut off.

_“You had to have the upper hand with her mother in law. Blah blah blah. It’s always something with you isn’t it? It’s not like I can ever talk to her about anything important. I can’t tell her how lonely it is to date a guy that shuts me out all the time and doesn’t tell me shit. You’re her brother. You know I can’t do that to her…. I miss her. She’s outside right now, and I’ve spent most of the evening with her...but I miss her, Clay. I see her all the time but I miss her. What is it with you Clay’s, huh? You’re standing right in front of me and I miss you, too!”_

Quinn’s mind was swimming and tears started to form behind her eyes. She wasn’t sure what she should do. She wished that the ground would open up and swallow her to keep her from hearing any of this. Her gut was screaming at her to run into that kitchen and hug her friend.

 _“Mal.”_ Clay implored her in a more softer tone. _“You knew that dating me had consequences. Consequences you agreed to. I never would have started this if-”_

 _“I get it. I agreed not to involve Quinn in our personal life. But that was then. You’re a stranger, Clay.”_ Mallory cut him off. _“And now you’re leaving again. And as usual, I have no idea where or what kind of mission you’re going on... I just don’t know if I can do this anymore.”_

The comment about the mission was news to Quinn and disappointment squeezed at her heart since she knew it meant that Jensen would be leaving, too. She was always supportive of Jensen’s career, but hated saying goodbye to him. Quinn wished she had never walked into the house. She tried not to cry and wondered if she could find a sneaky way out, before her presence was known. She tried to take a step backwards, but her sneakers made a squeak against her hardwood floor and she froze in place.

 _“It’s my job, Mallory.”_ Quinn heard the sadness behind her brother’s words. _“I’m not doing this here, do you understand?”_

_“I understand, Colonel. It’s about the only thing about you that I do understand. You’ll never tell me shit and the fact that we’re at Quinn’s is just geography… you’ll never trust me.”_

_“I’m just following protocol. It’s for your protection-”_  
  
_“Do you ever get tired of it?”_

There was a long pause and Quinn bit her bottom lip. She had no idea that Mallory was this unhappy dating her brother and she wished that she knew how to help them. She knew she was intruding and overhearing their argument was starting to make Quinn sick.

_“...Maybe you just like being alone? Because even when we’re together, we’re not really together are we?”_

“Hey, pretty lady!” Jensen loudly sang out behind her and scared the crap out of Quinn.

She jumped in the air as he happily wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her head.

“You coming back out? I’m trying to convince the boys that comms and tech is a much cooler job than being a sniper. But I need you to back me up before Pooch gets wise and tries to teach them how to hotwire your hatchback!”

By this point, she was busted and Clay and Mallory had slowly made their way out of the kitchen and figured that Quinn must had overheard most if not all of their private conversation. The fact that Quinn looked guilty as hell and was chewing on her bottom lip probably gave it away.

“Hey...are you okay?...” Jensen asked with concern as he peeked around her shoulder. He got freaked out when he could feel her tremble in his arms. “You’re shaking. What happened?”

“Nothing, babe. I’m okay.” Quinn looked back and tried her best to give him a reassuring smile over her shoulder. But Jensen didn’t buy it, neither did Mallory or her brother.

Clay stood tall and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his suit pants and looked down his nose at his little sister while Mallory nervously left the room and collected her belongings.

“Oh, are you guys heading out?” Jensen asked innocently and let Quinn go to shake Clay’s hand and thank them for coming.

“Yeah, thanks for dinner, Q.” Mallory came and kissed Quinn’s cheek and tried to scurry away, but Quinn grabbed her quickly and pulled her into a tight hug.

Quinn knew that now wasn’t the time to discuss what she had just overheard, but she wanted to let her friend know that she loved her and would always be there for her.

It took Mallory a second, but she hugged her back even tighter.

“Did I miss something?” Jensen was puzzled by their long emotional embrace and looked from Quinn and Mallory over to Clay.

“Let’s just say my little sister isn’t the best at surveillance.” Clay dryly answered.

“I’m shitty at special ops.” Quinn mumbled from inside Mallory’s shoulder. “I’m no soldier, but I love you, sweetie.” she whispered in her ear.

“I love you, too.” Mallory let her go and shrugged on her jacket. “We’ll do lunch soon, _solider_.” she teased.

“Aye aye, Captain.” Quinn teased and pretended to salute her friend.

“Dude.” Jensen puffed out a laugh and shook his head in embarrassment.

“What?”

Quinn was puzzled when even her brother pinched the bridge of his nose and looked away from her in disgust. Jensen took pity on her and wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple.

“‘Aye aye?’ Well first off, that’s dorky as hell and you sound like a pirate... which is kinda hot, now that I think of it…” Quinn gave him a playful elbow to his ribs but he continued. “But more importantly, that’s the navy, QBall. Have I taught you nothing?” Jensen playfully growled and hooked his arm around his girlfriend's waist and lifted her off the ground and carried out into the backyard to rejoin the fun.

Quinn couldn’t help but squeal and laugh as Jensen easily manhandled her and forced her to have a good time. But as Jensen was saving her from an embarrassing situation, she couldn’t help but notice the sad looks on Mallory and Clay’s faces as he dragged her out of there.

Maybe she should get Jensen to teach her a few special ops skills during her badass training because she wondered if she had inadvertently made things a lot worse for two people she cared about.


	5. "Rockhoopers"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding out that the team will be leaving soon on an important mission Jensen & Quinn have a restless night together, followed by an eventful morning. NSFW

 

 

 

Quinn was finally dead to the world and sleeping soundly when she felt half of Jensen’s body weight press her further into their mattress.

_Again!_

Jensen was never really subtle when he wanted to cuddle, but this was getting ridiculous. Quinn had been pushing him off of her all night, but he always seemed to find her and use her as his personal pillow.

Normally, Quinn didn’t mind snuggling and having him close, but that was when she slept on top of him, not the other way around. At times like this, Jensen forgot just how heavy he was.

It didn't help that Quinn had been having a hard time sleeping already. The scene she had witnessed between Mallory and Clay was still weighing heavily on her mind. Add the fact that the information she had accidentally overheard that night between Mallory and Clay was indeed coming to fruition.

Before her brother had left their condo earlier that night, Clay had informed Jensen and the rest of the team that they were going to be deployed soon on an important mission. They were all on standby until they got their orders to ship out. It could be hours or days for this particular mission, there was no way of knowing.

On hearing that their lives were essentially on hold, Quinn had rolled her eyes and petulantly mumbled. “Well that should do wonders for my anxiety.”

She had kicked herself for acting out when Jensen’s eyebrows had made that worried 'V' shape and he had taken her hand and had given it a reassuring squeeze. She hadn't wanted him to worry about her, though; she was a big girl and he needed to focus on his job. She had been trying to hide her disappointment from him ever since.

Clay sure knew how to ruin a dinner party. Between him fighting with Mallory and being the barer of bad news, Quinn had refused to pack him any leftovers out of spite. Whenever she had her brother over for dinner, Quinn usually made enough to feed him for about a week afterwards, but he was not not her favourite person, at that moment.

Quinn had felt a little guilty when Jackson had tried to right her wrong by chasing his uncle down the hall, offering his granola bar to him as a substitute. Jack’s little heart was always in the right place. At least her kids were being mature about the whole thing.

Both Cooper and Jackson had been thrilled that the team was going to go and catch some bad guys. But Quinn figured that their heroic high would wear off after a day or two when they started to miss having their dad home to tuck them in every night and chase all the monsters out of their closets. For some reason, they were never satisfied when she tried to do it for them, only their dad could do it right.

She had suspected that it was this upcoming mission that had Jensen clinging to her all night. They’d been together long enough for Quinn to pick up on his little behaviour patterns and quirks and had discovered for herself that Jensen usually got that way before a mission. He seemed to need her close to him in one form or another; he'd even fallen asleep that night spooning her and holding her hand.

Throughout the night, she had already pushed him off of her gently three different times to only wake to him spooning her tightly and snoring in her ear again. Jensen was oblivious to her discomfort and wasn’t taking the hint at all.

There was nowhere for her to hide in their queen size bed, though, he was relentless, and would always subconsciously seek her out. In between missions, he wasn’t nearly as aggressive with his cuddles. Something had to be wrong and she hoped that he was okay.

She tried not to get mad, but instead wiggled onto her back and let him rest his head on her shoulder. She kissed the top of his head and took some comfort in knowing that maybe, by giving up a little sleep, she could heal him a in the same way that he had healed her countless times.

She stared up at the ceiling and hated the fact that he was leaving again. She wondered what part of the world he was headed to this time. He would tell her if he knew. Maybe it was wrong, but Jensen had always told her everything, classified or not. She took his faith in her very seriously and kept very detail secret. Clay would flip out if he knew.

Confiding in her seemed to help Jensen in so many ways and served to bring them closer together. Quinn suspected that Clay not confiding Mallory was having the opposite effect and was probably what was tearing them apart.

Her heart broke for her friend. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like if the man she loved held her at arm's length like that. She listened to Jensen snore and felt so lucky. So lucky in fact, that she’d let him get away with murder and resigned herself to being his pillow for the rest of the night.

She let out a deep breath and played with his hair as he slept. Unfortunately, that just seemed to encourage him and he nuzzled into her chest and it started to feel like he was getting heavier and heavier.

Quinn took a deep breath and tried to rest. But sleep was impossible. She craned her neck and checked the time. It was still too early to get up, but the sun would be starting to rise at any minute.

They all had a busy day ahead of them and she figured that she would have to run on caffeine to be able to function.

Jensen was taking Jackson to his first t-ball practice and Quinn was coaching the Petunias with his sister, Annie. They were double booked so it was nice to share parental responsibilities, but they both wished that they could be in two places at once. They both wanted to be there for all the kids in their lives. Fortunately, Jensen and Jack would be able to make the end of Alyssa's game. That’s if the team didn’t get the call to ship out before then.

Quinn squirmed a little and tried to get comfortable. She wondered how long Jensen was going to sleep and continue to squash her; he was like a furnace laying on top of her. She deserved a medal for not snapping and losing her cool.

Jensen started to stir, because of her movements, and tightened his grip on her. Quinn was too warm, but she froze and held her breath. He then let out a sad, sleepy moan that concerned her and pulled on her heartstrings. Something was definitely wrong with him. She cursed herself for moving and hoped that he would go back to sleep. She could deal with the discomfort if it helped him sleep. Who knew if he’d be getting any rest once he deployed.

Then Jensen threw his leg over both of hers. This was getting a little ridiculous, but she breathed through her annoyance and claustrophobia. He would be gone soon and she would rather have him here smothering her than on the other side of the world. She tried not to focus on the negative and played with his soft hair instead. He was here with her right now, she tried to savour that knowledge and live in the moment. She would deal with the heartbreak later.

 _He would be okay_ , Quinn told herself as she listened to him softly snore on her chest. She wanted to listen to him snore every night for the rest of her life, if she could; which made her think of Sal and Eddie. She and Jensen would be just like that kind elderly couple one day. Sal had been in the Marines and their marriage had endured. She wondered how much of his job Sal had told Eddie about. Was that the key to being with a military man. Quinn really had no idea.

Being an army wife, or more accurately an army girlfriend, was a lot harder than Quinn had ever thought it would be. She had assumed she had known what she was signing up for when she met Jensen, but she really hadn’t known anything at all.

Her brother had been in the military for as long as she could remember, so she'd thought she would be prepared for all the challenges. But she hadn't shared her life with Clay like she did Jensen. Saying goodbye to him hurt in way that she had never felt before.

After many years being a single parent, Quinn knew the drill. Therefore, caring for the kids and dogs and being responsible for all the household chores wasn’t a big deal. It was exhausting, sure, but it was familiar and she knew she could handle it. What Quinn hadn't been prepared for was the emptiness she felt when Jensen was gone. It truly felt like half of her was missing or on hold when he was away.

A lifetime ago, when Quinn had been married to Ryan, her husband would often leave her for long periods of time for work (or to fuck his side chicks), but life had gone on just fine and she hadn't miss him nearly as much as she missed Jensen when he had to leave her.

Jensen was definitely the love of her life and her home. She supported his career and he was worth the sacrifice. Even if he was suffocating her at the moment.

Jensen let out a sleepy sigh and nuzzled into her breast. He must have sensed the dark place her mind had gone and had begun to wake up. She felt his hand slowly run up her side and instinctively cup the boob that he wasn’t using as a pillow. His strong hands felt nice on her and made her let out a soft hum.

She loved how perfectly in sync the two of them were; his familiar touch was very welcome and started to make her feel better.

“Good morning, papa bear,” she whispered. _“Sleep well?”_ she added, a bit sarcastically.

“Shit, don’t tell me I’ve been sleepin’ like this all night?”

“Pretty much, but that’s okay. I wasn’t sleeping all that great anyway.”

“You shoulda kicked me off you.” he yawned.

“I did.”

Jensen yawned again a little louder and started to roll off of her, but Quinn stopped him and kept playing with his hair. For some reason, now that he was awake, he didn’t feel as heavy as he did before.

She was still worried about him and wanted him close. Maybe it was that sad moan he'd made? When he shipped out, she knew she’d miss her personal Jensen sized blankie.

 _Please be okay and come home safe,_ she silently pleaded to herself as she watched Jensen rub his eyes and check the time.

Jensen didn’t need much of an invitation to get comfortable on her chest again. He kissed her breast over her tank top and continued to cup and fondle her other breast as he cuddled up against her.

He loved it when she played with his hair and was practically purring with contentment. His reaction warmed her heart and she forgot all about how uncomfortable she had been all night.

Quinn kissed the top of his head and continued to run her fingers through his hair. The morning sun started to slowly fill the room as they laid there in silence and listened to each other breathe. Being tangled up in him was the best place to be.

“Wait, did you say you weren’t sleeping anyway? What’s up?” Jensen’s voice was groggy, but still full of concern.

Usually Quinn’s sleeping patterns got fucked up when he was away and Jensen didn’t like the idea of his missions affecting her negatively before he had even left.

“I’ve just been thinking about Clay and Mal,” she sighed. “I have no idea if they’re okay. She was so pissed off last night. But..Jensen. She was so fucking sad. I heard so much stuff that I shouldn’t have. Clay makes so many dumb mistakes when it comes to women. But I think that Clay really needs someone like her in his li-”

“Don’t, babe” Jensen mumbled and rubbed his foot betweens hers.

“What? Don’t what?”

“Don’t get involved.” He yawned and squeezed her boob again. He was relieved that he wasn’t responsible for her insomnia this time.

“I won’t. I just want them to be happy.”

“I know you love ‘em but I’m sure they’re fine. You don’t want them all up in our business do you?”

“No...but our business is cool and drama free.” She sung out and raked his fingers through his hair.

“True.” Jensen chuckled with his eyes closed, his long eyelashes fanning his cheeks. “We’re pretty badass aren’t we?”

“We are. Are you okay though, babe? What goin’ on in that cute little blonde head of yours? Are worried about this mission?”

“Naw,” he answered quickly and slipped his hand under her tank top and started to run his fingertip around her nipple.

Quinn suspected that he was avoiding the subject, but, when she felt his morning erection pressed against her thigh, she let out a low hum and enjoyed his distraction.

“You’ve been clinging to me like a little 200 pound spider monkey all night. Are you sure you’re not worried about anything?”

Jensen smiled and continued to run circles around her nipple until it was nice and hard. Nothing ever got passed this woman, he mused to himself. No one had been so intune with him before.

“Well...Maybe a little bit.” he admitted. “Not the mission part, but the leaving you part is kinda fucking with me a little bit.”

“Don’t worry about us, baby.”

She let his confession dance around her head while her hands found their way down to his shoulders and skirted across his tattoos.

“Just focus on the mission and come home to me in one piece. I just want you safe and on your game. You go kick some ass and we’ll be fine here without you.” She soothed and traced all of his black ink with her fingertips.

“But I don’t want you guys to be fine!” Jensen spat out a little sharper than he should have.

Shit. He felt her tense at his outburst and he realized how stupid he sounded. He rested his chin between her breasts and looked up at her apologetically. Of course he wanted them to be fine, he just didn’t want to be forgotten.

“Well then…” she teased, dryly with a sweet smile. “I guess we won't be fine, if that'll make ya feel better.”

Quinn knew he didn’t mean it. Her suspicions had been correct though, something was bothering the poor guy. She'd barely gotten any sleep that night as a result. Quinn was not only used to Jensen’s odd sleeping patterns, but was used to his awkward outbursts as well. She knew better than to take it personally and waited for him to explain himself better.

His sighed and eyebrows made the same 'V' shape he made the previous night when he was worried about her. She ran her fingertips over his wrinkles and smiled down at him.

“Sorry, you know that’s not what I meant, Q,” he sighed and rubbed his sleepy eyes with the hand he didn't currently have under her tank top.

“I just don’t want you guys to get used to me not being here. When Coop and Jack are my age I don’t want them to look back and think I was just some dude that made out with their mom and hung out with them whenever I was in town. I don’t wanna be the dickhead stepdad that was never around or there for them.”

“Jensen…” She ran her fingertip down his nose and wasn’t sure what to say. There was so much weighing on his mind, she could feel it. She wondered how long he’s been holding it all in.

“Maybe I’m already fucking up this whole dad thing?” Jensen blurted out and chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“Gosh, you go from zero to 60.” Quinn giggled and Jensen bounced a little on her chest. “What makes you think you’re fucking up? Your job? Is it what that bitch said during my bullshit interview? You don’t think that people in the military can be good parents?”

Jensen sadly nodded his head and kissed her softly between her breasts.

“Maybe. I really don’t wanna fuck them up by being gone all the time. I love the little punks,” he mumbled into her chest.

“Calm. Down,” she reassured him slowly. “Fuck her. Her opinion doesn’t matter. That bitch was being paid to say what she said. You’re Coop and Jack’s dad. They’ve never had a dad in their whole lives and they totally dig having one now. You could never be just some dude to them...but you are the dickhead I make out with, though,” she teased.

He puffed out a laugh against her chest and she smiled. Just when she thought she couldn’t love him more, he showed her how much the boys meant to him and she fell in love with him all over again. She adored him for taking his new parental responsibilities so seriously. But he needed to relax and cut himself a break though.

“Look, Pooch and Jolene are trying to get pregnant again aren’t they,” she reminded him and ended up speaking to the top of his head.

“Yeah. Don’t remind me. Pooch doesn’t shut up about it. I know more about that woman’s cycles then I’d care to admit.”

Quinn laughed as Jensen groaned and buried his face between her boobs. He reminded her of an ostrich sticking his head in the sand.

“Well, what if Pooch and Jolene had a dozen kids right now? He’d be going on the the same missions that you’re going on...”

He kissed between her breasts again and his lips and beard started to feel too nice against her skin. She ran her fingers through his hair again and encouraged him to continue as she spoked.

“...Do you think that he’d be a shitty dad too?”

“No. Of course not,” he stated without looking at her. “Pooch is gunna be a great dad.”

“So are you, my love. So stop being so hard on yourself. At least you have a job. That interviewer on the other hand is currently unemployed, I hope whatever Catherine paid her was worth it.”

Jensen peppered the softest kisses along the top of her cleavage and held her breast so gently. Quinn’s heart swelled at the loving attention she was getting. Being his personal pillow definitely had its rewards.

“I’m proud of you, you know that?” Jensen puffed out a small disbelieving laugh, but Quinn continued. “You do the best for your kids, you really do. And, babe, that’s all anyone can do no matter what they do for a living.”

“I see what you’re saying, babe...maybe...” he sighed and rested his chin between her boobs again.

He looked her in eye as he took a moment to try to gather his thoughts. Dawn was breaking and the bright morning light slowly begun to fill their bedroom and Quinn wasn’t sure if Jensen had ever looked as gorgeous before. She always loved his round glasses, but seeing him without them was always a treat.

He frowned and she thought he looked like a sad little puppy, but then he squeezed her breast harder under her tank top and reminded her that he wasn't nearly as innocent as he looked. She pressed her lips together and tried not to show how turned on she was. She was going to be supportive and hear what he had to say first, then she planned on pouncing him and having her wicked way with him; she only hoped that she could wait.

“Maybe it’s just me...maybe I’m not cut out for this kinda shit anymore? I mean...when I enlisted I didn't have you...I wasn’t a dad, you know? I care about other people now...”

He continued to fondle her breast and Quinn did her best to ignore how good it felt and instead focused on what he was saying and played with his hair. But his voice was smooth as velvet and his hands knew just how to touch her, she struggled to give him her undivided attention.

“...because of you, I have a life that I give a shit about...” he continued to seduce her and pressed his impressive erection against her leg.

He was admiring her restraint, but longed to hear her moan. He couldn’t resist messing with her first and seeing if he could make her crack, she looked so cute when she was concerned for him.

“...a life that’s here…with you. Fuck, where the hell did you come from, huh? Sometimes I can’t believe you’re real, Quinn. You changed everything didn’t you?”

Jensen knew exactly what he was doing to her and she played along and let every single word touch her heart. As sweet as he was being, she wasn't sure how long she would last without responding to his seductive touch, which was exactly what Jensen was betting on.

Jensen upped the ante and ran his full bottom lip up her arm. Feeling his breath against her skin made her even wetter and her breath caught in her throat. Fuck, her heart was beating so fast and all she wanted was to rip his boxer shorts off and show him how much she wanted him.

She found the strength to hold back on her impulses, but it was hard. Almost as hard as Jensen’s cock that was insistently pressing against her leg. Instead, she gripped his hair harder and tried to calm the fire that was starting to burn inside her. She had to admit, she did love all of Jensen’s little games. He made everything so much fun.

“It’s hard to leave when I have this to come home to...” he squeezed her breast harder and pinched and twisted her nipple to make his point.

Quinn swallowed her gasp and sucked in her bottom lip. Jensen was trying to get a bigger reaction from her, but she kept her panting to a minimum and focused on what he was trying to tell her. His words were so heartfelt, yet his hands were so naughty and fun. She couldn’t help but start to squirm underneath him.

He smiled his sly devilish smirk when he felt her movements underneath him. He knew that he was getting to her and the winning twinkle in eyes shone triumphantly.

“Fuck, you’re so gorgeous...I don’t wanna miss out on anything…I just wanna be with you.”

Quinn squirmed some more and tried to find some friction against his body. He kindly placed his leg between hers and let her rub up against his thigh.

“That’s it, baby,” he encouraged and kissed her chin. “I think you’re more important, Quinn. Fuck. I know that you’re more important...but I really dunno what that means yet though.” he added and shook his head in confusion. “I love my job, too...and the guys. The guys really need me.”

When his tone changed, she stopped writhing against him and pulled his face towards hers.

“You really do go from 0 to 60, don’t cha?” she panted and smiled at the same time.

She pressed her lips against his. Her needs could wait. She needed to show him how much she loved him first.

Jensen snaked his free hand under her head and pulled her up closer to deepen their kiss. He slipped his tongue past her lips and found that tasting her instantly calmed his anxiety, but in turn feed the powerful beast inside him. In that moment, she was the only thing in the world that mattered. He kissed her harder and let out a moan that was close to primal.

“Hey...wait a minute..” She pulled away and made him focus and look at her.

It was his turn to wait, she needed to make him listen to her. Regardless of what game he thought he was playing, she was had heard every word he said. He stopping squeezing her breast, but held it firmly as he waited for the green light to rip her clothes off.

She searched his face was taken back by the way he was looking at her. His eyes were black with lust. He looked at her with so much raw passion, it was as if he was already inside her.

 _Wow_ , she thought, as her heart skipped a heart. How in the world had someone so amazing ended up with her? It didn’t matter one little bit to her what he did for a living as long as he was safe and happy.

“...if you want to get out and get a civi job you know I’ll back you 100%. But, Jake...”

She held his face in her hands and caressed his cheeks with her thumbs. He quickly caught one of her thumbs in his mouth and twirled his tongue around it as he listened to her.

“You have to make that kind of decision for yourself, baby. Don’t quit because you think it’s what I want, okay. I’m Team Jensen for life, whether you’re a soldier or a garbage man.”

“I know you are.” he mumbled with her thumb in his mouth. “I’m just being a whiny little bitch. I just hate leaving you is all.”

“It’s not my favourite thing either!” She laughed. “But I just want you to come home safe. Seriously, you coming home safe is the only thing that matters to me. It’s non negotiable.”

Jensen nodded his head and believed her. He watched her reaction as he sucked on her thumb and bit down softly. He was rewarded by a deep moan from the back of her throat. He loved that sound, it made him ache for her.

“I’m tougher than I look, Jensen.” His teeth on her had always been her weakness. He bit down softly on her thumb a second time and she started to writhe against him again. “I’ll miss you like crazy, but I can deal.”

He let her thumb dropped from his mouth and looked her in the eye.

“Promise me, if one day you can’t deal and all this _‘army wife, strength behind the uniform’_ shit gets to be too much, you’ll tell me.”

Jensen was suddenly so serious and earnest, Quinn had a hard time keeping up with his mood swings. She was right to be worried about him this time, so many things were troubling him at once.

“You guys will always come first. Always,” he continued. “I love my job...but fuck. Promise me you’ll tell me if you’ve had enough of this shit and not just bail on me one day. Gimme a chance to make it right first before you leave me.”

“Dude. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Please, Q, just promise me,” he pleaded. “Just promise you’ll tell me first.”

“I promise I’ll never just suddenly bail on you, Jake. That’s not my style. Besides, you’re stuck me. We’re like penguins. We mate for life.”

She watched his shoulders drop and a cheeky smile stretch across his face. His hand was still in her shirt and he gave her boob a playful shake and a squeeze. What she wouldn’t give to hear him lighten up and laugh.

“Actually, only rockhopper penguins mate for life,” he explained. “Emperor penguins are monogamous, but just seasonally. Kinda a dick move in my opinion.”

“Fine,” she puffed out a laugh and rolled her eyes at him. “We’re rockhoppers then.”

“Actually, we kinda are...” He chuckled and shook his head at her cuteness. He started to feel his fear melting away, but he still couldn’t make peace with having to leave her soon.

He was such a nerd. She beamed up at him and listened to him go on about different penguin species. But he was the hottest, sweetest nerd that she’d ever laid eyes on. Leaving must really be messing with him this time, she thought. He’d been all over the map this morning. But his eyes were getting back their twinkle and he started to sound like his old self again.

“Rockhoppers spend most of their year apart and when scientists track them they find out that they’re usually really fuckin’ far away from each other too...kinda like us.”

“That sucks. Are they the ones that give each other a shiny pebble when they’re in love?” she asked hopefully, with big eyes.

“Naw, that’s another one.”

“Fuck that. I don’t wanna be a rockhopper then,” she playfully pouted and stuck her bottom lip out.

“You want a shiny pebble?” He kissed her pouty bottom lip and smiled. “I’ll get cha a shiny pebble.”

Quinn’s cute lighthearted smile made Jensen’s heart swell. He might be having doubts about staying with the team, but looking at her, he had no doubt in his mind that she was the most beautiful thing that he has ever touched in his life.

“Naw, QBall, we’re rockhoppers. ‘Cause it doesn’t matter how far away I go. I’ll always come back ta ya. You’re my home. Plus, they’re the coolest lookin’ penguins as far as I’m concerned.”

“Wait. Are rockhoppers the weird looking ones with the crazy yellow feathers sticking out of their heads?”

Jensen smiled a big bright toothy smile and nodded his head with pride.

“Fitting.” She giggled and played with the floppy blonde tips of his bedhead hair. “Sold. I’m in. I’ll be a rockhopper with you."

“Fuck, I love you,” he growled and crawled up her body and kissed her gently.

“I love you, too. I’ll always be here waiting for you,” she answered against his lips. “I don’t need a shiny pebble, Jake. Just you. Please come home to me in one piece.”

“You gunna miss me?” he darkly asked and pushed her tank top up to her chin. He took a nipple into his mouth and waited for her answer.

“Uh huh,” she hummed and closed her eyes as he divided his attention to each of her nipples.

He let go of her breast and she felt his large hands run all over her body mixed with sporadic wet open mouthed kisses along her stomach and hips. His own personal massage. She opened her legs and let him settle between them as she enjoyed his touch and discarded her tank top.

The soft scratch of his beard against her skin was making her even wetter than she already was. He took his time and made his way to her center. She couldn’t help but smile when she felt the warmth of his breath through her pajama shorts.

“Ah, Jensen…” She arched her back as he ran his hands down each one of her legs as he continued to caress her whole body. She was pleased that she was his sole focus and that he had let his dark thoughts go.

“That’s my girl. Let me hear you.” He opened his mouth wide and took her whole clothed pussy into his mouth and groaned in delight. She moaned as she squirmed and pushed herself against his face, the tease threatened to tear her in half.

He stopped and quickly grabbed her and brought her lips to his. Jensen’s desperate kiss took her breath away. She tried to keep up with him while they worked together to rid him of his boxer shorts.

When his thick cock sprang free, Quinn couldn’t wait to get it in her mouth. She wasted no time and dove for his cock. She was not in the mood to tease him or take her time. Jensen leaned back on his knees and watched her enthusiastically suck him.

“Yes. Shit. That’s it, baby,” he encouraged and collected her long hair away from her face so he could see her better.

He rubbed her back and moaned as she bobbed her head and dragged her tongue along his cock. Her ass was high up in the air and he couldn’t resist running his hand down her back and into the back of her pajama shorts. He squeezed her ass hard and felt her take him to the very back of her throat.

 _“Fuuuuck,”_ he hissed and moaned. His fingers traveled down her ass and found her wet pussy. “You like suckin’ my dick, huh?”

Quinn moaned “uh huh” in reply and twirled her tongue around the head head of his cock and gave it a loudy cute kiss. She did love it. Jensen was so vocal and the reactions she got from him drove her crazy. She wanted to please him and was done with thinking and worrying. She just wanted to turn her brain off and enjoy her man.

She tilted her head up and looked him in the eye as she held him by the base of his cock and slid her wet lips across his broad tip over and over again. He bit his bottom lip as he watched her play her sexy games with him. He tried to memorize every detail to have something to jerk off to when he was away from her. As he watched her, he wasn’t sure how he would be able to walk out the door when their orders finally came in; she was everything.

Jensen grabbed her by her hips and positioned her so that she was laying on her back in front of him, practically flipping her over. She turned her head and eagerly opened her mouth for him as he pushed his cock passed her lips.

 _God, she gave the best head_ , Jensen thought to himself. He rocked his hips and started to gently fuck her warm mouth. He tried to hold back because he didn't want to gag her, but her mouth was the definition of bliss. He wasn’t sure who was enjoying themselves more when she grabbed his hips and encouraged him to go deeper. She wanted his dick and the vibrations from her moans felt amazing. It was almost too good and he tried not to come too soon. Instead, he focused on squeezing her full breasts and rolling her nipple between his fingers.

Quinn was so turned on; she ran her hand slowly down her body and slipped her hand under her shorts and started to rub circles around her clit.

“That's it, baby. Fuck that's hot.”

Jensen watched her fuck herself in fascination and wasn’t sure how he ended up being the only one naked. But he loved the sight of her fingers as they picked up speed under her pajama bottoms. Not seeing everything was almost sexier, but he had to gain better access to the rest of her body. He started to pull at her shorts but, when he was met with resistance, she lifted her hips and helped him out, all without taking his cock out of her mouth.

Jensen stroked her hair and tucked some of it behind her ear and watched her hollow her cheeks and suck him. She was so beautiful as she ran her lips up and down his cock. He gently caressed her cheek and explored her face with his fingertips. Her big blue eyes looked up and held his loving gaze as he held her face. What was it about her that made this so hot, but also pulled on his heart strings?

She had to stop sucking him when he leaned down towards her and kissed her mouth. He ran his tongue over her swollen lips and told her that he loved her again.

“I love you, too, Jake,” she whispered back.

“Fuck you’re really good at that…” He smirked.

“I’m trying to earn my shiny pebble,” she joked and winked up at him.

She was eager to have him back in her mouth and ran her flattened tongue up the underside of his cock then wrapped her lips around him as he laughed at her.

Jensen watched in wonder as she worked him over with her mouth and got herself off at the same time. He continued to run his hands all over her body like he had before. Her skin was so soft and smooth. How in the world did someone so precious ever end up in his bed? He was completely and utterly hers. He truly belonged to her and wouldn't want it any other way.

Quinn knew his body so well and exactly how to make him come he would have to stop her or he was sure to come in her mouth and, as nice as that would be, he had other plans that morning.

Jensen ran the flat palm of his hand down her belly until he reach her pussy. He was so pleased to find her soaked and hot to the touch.

Their fingers worked together to explore her pussy. She put his fingers where she wanted them and stroked his cock in a steady continuous motion with her other hand. When her hips rose up off the bed to meet his fingers, his body shivered in the knowledge that her body was practically begging for him.

“You ready for me, baby?” He took his cock out of her hand and causally gave it a few slow tugs. “You want this cock?”

“Uh huh. Yes, baby. Make me come.”

Jensen sank two fingers deep inside her and watched her push up against his hand. He loved the way she was moving on the bed and started to pump his fingers inside her a little faster.

Her hips continued to grind against his hand and Jensen was sure it was the sexiest thing that he’s ever seen. He decided to be patient and make her come this way first. He couldn't get over how sexy she looked beneath him.

While he was preoccupied watching her hips move, she took his cock and started to suck him again. She raised her hips up off the mattress in the hopes he would fingering her even deeper as she bobbed her head.

Jensen did not disappoint and went to work. He fumbled a few times until he found her g-spot and got the right reaction. He smiled to himself and ranked his fingers across it again and again.

Jensen fingers were so powerful that Quinn had to stop sucking him. Instead, she held him firmly in her fist and stroked him a continuous motion, twisting her wrist at the top. He knew that he was hitting the right spot when the rhythm of her strokes faltered.

“Ah, baby. Right there. Don’t stop...oh fuck. Please don’t stop.”

“I’m not stopping, babe. Feel it...that’s it...be a good girl. I wanna watch you come.”

He found the angle that she seemed to respond to the most and fingered her cunt in the most effective way. She wanted it rougher and he was more than willing to oblige her.

Her cries and mewls were only fueling his intensity. She was begging for more and quickly started to suck his cock again. Her primal reactions were making him finger her harder. His bicep was flexed and tense as he focused on her. For half a second, he hoped that he wasn’t hurting her, but she continued use his cock to muffle her screams of pleasure, so he figured he must be doing something right. What was it about this girl that drove him so crazy?

“Look at you...fuck you’re so beautiful with my cock in your mouth,” he praised. “You like this?”

“More, baby. Give it to me.” She panted and begged against his glistening cock. “You’re gunna make me come.”

Hearing her dirty words always turned him on so powerfully and this time was no exception. His heart beat fast as he fingered her harder at a punishing speed. He watched in awe as her hips rose off the bed again looking for more.

Her wetness was running down his hand as he continued to fuck her savagely with his two fingers. Her moans began to reach a higher tempo as she started to come. He wasn’t sure why, but that served to fuel his intensity and he fingered her even harder and faster than before. Neither of them was holding back in slightest.

Hearing her curse and moan was amazing. Making her come was so fucking satisfying.

She couldn’t believe the intensity of what she was feeling. It was raw and savage and she loved every single second of it. She couldn’t control the way Jensen was making her feel so she surrendered control and stopped trying. As soon as she let go, she felt her orgasm hit her like a mac truck. She suddenly came harder than she ever had before and they were both extremely surprised to feel her gush and squirt all over the both of them.

“Holy shit! That was amazing!” Jensen cheered in awe and continued to rub her soaked pussy. “ _Thaaaat’s_ my girl!”

“Did that seriously just happen?” Quinn tried to sit up to survey the damage, but Jensen crushed his lips against hers and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She still felt echoes of her powerful orgasm as she kissed him back and sucked on his tongue.

Quinn didn’t have time to feel embarrassed or process what had just happened because Jensen was worshipping her body and making his way down to her core.

“That was awesome. I gotta taste you. You are so fucking amazing…”

He mumbled something about this being the best day of his life as he licked, kissed, sucked, and bit every single inch of her pussy and inner thighs. He was thrilled that he had made her come so hard and, after a few moments of Jensen’s passionate attention, she was thrilled as well.

She had never gushed like that before and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. But she was so relieved that her first time had been with Jensen. He made her feel so safe and loved. His face was still between her legs doing a victory lap and relishing in his success.

“I can’t believe that happened...I’m so sorry.”

“Dude. Don’t.” He looked up from between her legs and before his blue eyes met hers, he wiped his wet shiny chin against the inside of her thigh. His eyes were such a perfect mixture of happiness and lust. “You just earned your shiny pebble.”

She giggled and held his gaze as he licked up the strip of her pussy with a flat tongue. She bit her bottom lip as she watched him enjoy her.

“You look so proud of yourself.”

“Hell ya I am!” he laughed “ _I. Loved. It._ ” Each word was punctuated with a wet open mouthed kiss to her clit. “Are you okay? Cause I’m not nearly done with you yet.”

“I’m good. That was intense, though. I still kinda feel like I’m coming.”

“No shit? Do you wanna stop?”

“Nope. We still have time till the kids wake up. So bring it, baby.” She giggled. “But I doubt you can top that.”

“We’ll see about that, smartass.”

Jensen kissed her clit again and started to lick her the way she liked. He used his tongue and lips to make her moan and shook his head from side to side.

“Fuck me, J. Please.”

“Well since you asked so nicely…” Jensen chuckled against her skin.

Quinn was impress that even with everything that had just happened, Jensen had the wherewithal to remember that he needed to use a condom. Her shot was a little more than a week away and this was the window of time where they were always a little more cautious with their birth control.

He leaned across her and opened the drawer on their nightstand and found one. He sat on his knees and opened the foil packet with his teeth then tossed the condom on her tummy. He loved to watch her put it on him. It was their little ritual.

“No baby Jensens,” she teased as she properly fashioned the condom along his impressive length.

He puffed out a laugh as she took him in her mouth again and tasted the latex that clung to him.

“Fip over?” he asked in a soft voice and ran his hand down her face and held her by her jaw.

Quinn ran her lips down his shaft one last time and then eagerly turned over onto her stomach. She giggled with anticipation when she felt Jensen brush her hair away from her face and pepper kisses along her neck and the back of her shoulders. He continued to kiss and lick down her spine and paid close attention to her ass. She squealed and moaned at the same time as his beard tickled her flesh.

“This ass, babe,” he groaned his praise before he bit down on her ass cheek.

“Ouch!” She laughed and tried to squirm away, but he held her down and did it to the other cheek.

Quinn’s giggles turned into a gasp when she felt Jensen’s face between her legs licking her pussy. His tongue felt amazing as he licked all the way up passed her asshole and up her spine.

He continued to suck and kiss all across her back while at the same time guiding his cock inside her.

She buried her face in her pillow and relished the feeling of Jensen’s large cock stretching and filling her. She moaned his name while he gave her a moment to adjust to his size.

Once he was fully seated inside her, Jensen groaned and enjoyed their connection. He pushed in deeper and felt her push back against him. She was also trying to make him go deeper and, in that moment, the whole world made sense to him. The clarity was so intoxicating, only Quinn could make him feel like that.

“Fuck. You. Are. Everything.” Each one of his words was met by a powerful snap of his hips that pushed Quinn further into the bed. “Did you know that, baby? Fuckin’. _Everything_...Christ you feel so good.”

Jensen listened to her moans and mewls and brushed her hair off her shoulders. He slowed down and fucked her more gently and seemed to be more focused on kissing her back and shoulders then satisfying his need.

Quinn’s heart swelled and she tried to savour the feeling of Jensen’s loving attention. He was everywhere and all around her. All of her senses were tuned into him and what he was making her feel with his lips and the scratch of his beard.

He pulled out of her suddenly, but before Quinn could protest she felt him lick and kiss at her pussy again.

 _“Ah...Jake. Yes,”_ she moaned as his wet tongue traveled up passed her asshole and repeated it’s journey up her spine again, loving every single inch of her body. Only Jensen knew how to make her feel so cherished.

He stood up on his knees and encouraged her to do the same. He gripped her hips hard and slammed back into her. His tempo increasing along with their moans and grunts, he slowed down only to paw at her breasts and tell her how good and wet she felt.

She met him thrust for thrust and felt all of the heat and desire swirling in her belly. He was going to make her come again, she couldn’t believe it. He kept fucking her hard and rough and then it was her turn to become completely his.

He leaned back and sat on his legs and brought her with him, so that she was essentially sitting in his lap, her back leaning against his chest. He was still so restless, she could feel it in his breathing. He thrusted up into her hard and fast and was successfully channeling all of his competing emotions into a raw passion that took her breath away.

Quinn knew that he was trying to fuck away the thought of leaving her, by the way that he was holding her body. There was no possible way for two people to be closer, but Jensen still desperately tried to close any space between them. His two hands held her tight, almost too tight, and seemed to grab her everywhere as he fucked her and grunted into her ear.

Quinn reached up around her and ran her fingers through his hair as he sucked hard on the side of her neck and continued to fuck her hard with a singular focus. He was sure to leave a mark on neck, but she couldn’t care less. Her release was building as his fingers skillfully found their way around to her clit. In that moment, he was the only thing that mattered in the whole world.

All she could hear was his harsh panting breaths against her neck as he started to come. His powerful thrusts became sharp and staggered as he filled the condom. He bit down on her shoulder and tried to keep his voice down as he grunted almost uncontrollably and enjoyed his climax.

He stayed inside her and rubbed her clit faster and twisted her nipple between his fingers. He was determined to make her come one last time.

“Come on, baby.” he growled into her ear. “You know you’re close. Gimme another one. Come on my cock.”

“Yes, baby. Just like that,” she panted and gasped when he doubled his efforts.

He knew just how to get her off and bit down on her shoulder again. That was all it took to tip her for her to feel the warm waves of her orgasm finally start to wash over her.

 _“Thaaaaat’s it._ Fuck. _Gooood_ girl.” he breathlessly cooed his praise and wrapped his arms around her as she shook and moaned a combination of his name and “I’m coming.” He hugged her body close as her walls squeezed around him.

Both of their bodies glistened with sweat as they sat on their bed and felt each other's heart beat fast. She was still feeling the glowy effects of her orgasam when he pulled out of her slowly. She started to get off his lap, but he held her close against his chest.

“Don’t forget about me, okay,” he whispered into her hair behind her ear.

In that moment, Quinn’s heart slowly started to break and she felt her loved and glowy feeling start to slip away. Quinn couldn’t process how she was feeling and felt tears start to pool in her eyes.

How could he say such a thing? How could he leave on another mission and not trust how much she loved him? How much she would always love him. She was lost as to how to put his fears to rest and convince him that he mattered to her more than anyone. She worried that somehow she wasn’t doing enough to love him that way that he needed.

“Not a chance. I couldn’t never forget about you. We’re rockhoppers, remember?” she reminded him and tried to keep her voice steady and playfully. “Besides, I haven’t got my shiny pebble yet.”

She was consumed with her feelings for him and felt so overwhelmed. She tried not to sob as he softly kissed her shoulder and smile against her neck. She swallowed down the hard lump in her throat and attempted to pull herself together and hide her internal meltdown from him.

“You’re my forever, Quinn.”

Jensen’s gentle heartfelt words were her undoing and her emotional damn broke. She couldn’t hold back her emotions and buried her head in her hands and let the tears fall. He was her forever as well, she had never felt a love like his before in her life.

“Q? Oh shit.” Jensen quickly took off the condom and threw it into their wastepaper basket beside their bed and grabbed his glasses from their nightstand. “I'm so sorry. Fuck. Did I hurt you? _Shhh_. What happened? Are you okay?”

Jensen spoke fast and Quinn began to cry harder. He was panicked as he brushed her hair to the side and examined her shoulder where he bit her, but all he saw was the hickey that was beginning to form on her neck. The thought of hurting her was freaking him out, he wished that she would say something.

She kept her face in her hands and leaned into his chest. He still had no idea what had happened, but wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Watching her cry cut him to the quick.

“ _Shhh_. You gotta talk to me, baby.” Jensen smoothed her hair and kissed the top of her head. “I’m so fucking sorry. Did I go too far? Did I do this?”

“No. I’m okay.” She hiccupped and tried to wipe away her tears with the back of her hand. “I just love you so much, Jake. Sometimes, I feel it all and it hurts...sometimes it’s too much to feel all at once.”

“Fuck.” Jensen felt tears beginning to form behind his eyes as well and continued to stroke her hair. “I know exactly what you mean, QBall. You scared the crap outta me.”

“I’m sorry.”

Her voice was so quiet, she sounded like a little kid. Jensen was glad that she was okay but could still feel her warm tears on his chest.

“It’s okay. You still get your shiny pebble, QBall.”

Quinn puffed out a small laugh and took a few deep breaths and tried to pull herself together. She'd spent most of the night hoping that Jensen was okay and here she was crying her eyes out on his shoulder the following morning. She wished she could have waited until he left on his mission before she fell apart. She cursed herself for burdening Jensen with any kind of drama when he should be putting his game face on and preparing for his upcoming deployment.

She tried to get up, but he held her tightly against him and played with her hair. He needed to make sure that she was okay and didn’t want to rush her. If she didn’t have to coach his niece's soccer team and he didn’t have to take Jack to his t-ball practice that morning, he would have insisted that they spend most of that Saturday in bed together. Taking care of Quinn was a responsibility that Jensen enjoyed and took very seriously.

After few more moments of cuddles, Quinn finally stopped crying and Jensen ran them a shower. He spent the majority of the time rubbing her shoulders and cracking jokes until she was back to her old self again. They had a big day ahead of them with their kids and their niece, but first Jensen wanted to savour every moment with his little rockhopper.


	6. "Lucky"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen and Quinn try and make the most of their time together before Jensen leaves on a mission by spending some quality with their kids. But before the day begins, Quinn gets some potential good news concerning her career causing Jensen to, not only share his lucky charm with her, but confide in her things he has kept secret for years.
> 
> Warnings: Trigger warning - Talk of past child abuse.

Jensen and Jack were hanging out of the couch that morning being extra adorable and Quinn had a hard time telling which one of them was more excited to get their Saturday started: Jackson, who was about to attend his first t-ball practice, or Jensen, who was so stoked to become a little league dad for the first time ever.

As excited as her future t-ball star was, her money was on Jensen, he’d been looking forward to this day for weeks. He had zero shame and had a special team jersey made up to match Jackson’s, same number and all. Quinn had already taken a dozen adorable pictures of the two of them together that morning and posted them on all her social media accounts as well as texted them to all her friends to make sure that they saw them.

Jack looked just like Jensen’s little mini me sitting on his lap. It was epic as far as she was concerned. She even had them do special poses with plans to turn the pictures in personal father and son baseball cards. Watching Jensen with their kids always warmed her heart. He was such a natural dad when he wasn’t doubting himself.

Her boys were the best, all three of them. She had no shame about bragging about them either. Maybe Clay was right and she was starting to take after Jensen after all. _Meh._ It didn’t bother her one little bit. She was proud of her family.

But all of their pre little league merriment had been almost cut short when Cooper had called out his step-dad and had demanded to know why the back of his shirt had said “Andrews” when Jensen’s last name was obviously “Jensen.”

Quinn went from joyful to tense in a matter of seconds. After an awkward pause, she stammered and tried to explained that Jensen was just proud of them and wanted to support them in everything that they did. She also added that Cooper’s last name wasn’t “Brady” but that didn’t stop him from having that name on that back of his Patriots jersey.

There was a lot of truth to her answer, and luckily, the boys seemed to easily accept it and hadn’t had any follow up questions. But Quinn was still shaken up and taken off guard by the question. It didn’t help that Jensen was useless and just stood there stunned and helpless with his mouth hanging open.

In the back of her head, Quinn wished that she didn’t have to gloss over a question like that. It was a painful reminder that it was her cold feet that kept the four of them from becoming a legal family and all sharing the same last name.

But what did good ol’ Billy Shakespeare say? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” They were all Team Jensen, right? The boys were even starting to refer to their family that way now. She knew that, logically, it shouldn’t matter what their names were.

Quinn spent the rest of the morning after Cooper’s question trying to convince herself that everything was fine. But she knew that she and Jensen needed to make more concrete decisions about their future, but talking about marriage and weddings freaked her out so it became an easy issue to procrastinate on.

Quinn told herself that, when Jensen got back from this mission, they would sit down and have “the talk.” She only hoped that she wasn’t lying to herself, because she had a feeling that she would chicken out.

Jensen sensed Quinn’s stress and quickly redeemed himself and changed the subject to t-ball and their plans for the day. He knew what a can of worms Cooper had inadvertently opened and, after Quinn’s little freakout early that morning Jensen didn’t want the rest of their day to go to shit. He’d been playing with Jackson ever since to keep him out of her hair while she got ready and Cooper cleaned up after breakfast.

Jensen was still buzzing with excitement, feeling like a little kid. He loved being a hands on dad and being there for the boys during milestones like this. But, at the moment, he was enjoying a little cuddle session and tickle fight on the couch with his future baseball all star until it was time to go. Hanging out with little Jack was the best and, knowing that the team still had no word yet on when they’d be shipping out, Jensen tried to just live in the moment and enjoy himself. Hanging out with his man cubs helped him achieve that goal more times than he could count.

The other thing Jensen had to do that morning was get a hold of his realtor to give her the go ahead to put his condo on the market for the outrageous asking price that she thought they would easily get for it. Jackson started to get annoyed with him when he tried to multitask and make the call at the same time. It meant that while Jensen held the phone to his ear in one hand, he pinned a giggling and pouting Jackson to the couch with the other. He barely heard their real estate agent over Jack’s laughter and loud protests.

Once Jensen hung up the phone, Jackson used his five-year-old logic to complain to his dad how unfair it was that he wasn’t letting him win and that his dad being on the phone was against his imaginary “rules.” Jackson was so serious that Jensen tried not to laugh at the little guy.

Jensen felt bad about not giving Jack his undivided attention and, as a peace offering, he playfully promised to buy him anything under the sun if he forgave him. He tickled him and told his little mini me that, once he got his condo sold, he’d could afford buy back his love.

Jackson’s bright smile returned and he eagerly agreed to his step-dad's outrageous terms and crawled back into his lap. Jensen reached over him and took their iPad out in the attempt to psych up his little all star show him the fine art of t-ball.

Jackson’s big blue eyes were glued to the screen, but his hand came up and wrapped around his dad’s neck.

“I loves you for free, Daddy.”

“I know, buddy, I was just joking.” Jensen explained and kissed the back of his head.

Jackson was so forgiving and never needed an excuse to cuddle, he took after his mom that way. If he ever saw Jensen sit down on the couch, Jensen could count T Minus 5 seconds before his little buddy would climb up onto his lap and wrap his little arms around his neck. Jensen loved it, but it made his heart hurt to know that one day his stepson would grow out of it, so he tried to enjoy their snuggles for as long as he could.

“You excited, little man?” Jensen asked and kissed the back of his head again while Jack was mesmerized by the ipad.

“Yup. Go Team Jensen!” little Jack cheered and threw his little fist in the air and narrowly missed punching Jensen’s chin.

Jensen let out a loud laugh and thought that his heart could burst at any moment. There wasn’t another five-year-old on the planet as cute as his kid.

“I’s gunna hit a _hooooomerun_!!” Jack sung out.

“Of course you are, bud.” Jensen encouraged. “I really love ya, ya know that?” he quietly said into his ear and when his son nodded his head Jensen couldn’t have felt more pride.

“I loves you too, Daddy.” Jackson said automatically without looking at him.

Sometimes, Jensen couldn’t believe how easy and normal it was to tell Cooper and Jack that he loved them. It happened so regularly that, at times, the kids seemed to take it for granted, and Jensen loved that. He got such a kick out of their little faces sometimes. It was as if they were thinking, “Of course my parents love me. What's the big deal?” They didn’t doubt their parents love for them for a second.

That was the way that it was supposed to be. Jensen, sadly, hadn't had that kind of childhood. He had a chance, though, to right all those past wrongs with his boys. Every day with them healed him in some way. Loving those two kids gave him a chance to rewrite his own childhood. He doubted that he could ever give back to his family what they have given to him.

“You don’t have to hit a homerun every time to go up to bat, sweetheart. Just have fun and be a good sport, little love.” Quinn called out from the hallway before ducking back into the kitchen.

“I can do boff, right?” Jack looked up and innocently asked his dad. “I mean, hitting a homerun would still be pretty fun, right?

“Ha, that’s mah boy.” Jensen laughed and ruffled Jack's dark hair. “Of course you can do both.”

“Daddy is gunna take lots of video’s for me... _ **right!**_ ” Quinn called out from the kitchen.

She still hated the idea of missing Jack’s first t-ball practice, but she had already committed to coaching the Petunia’s with Jensen’s sister that day. She knew that Jack was in good hands with Jensen but it still stung. Both of her boys were growing up too fast.

“You got it, Mama Bear!” Jensen called out to reassure her.

After a long shower, Quinn was back to her old self again and, even after their eventful morning together, Jensen had a hard time keeping his hands off her once she was wearing her Petunia’s coaches uniform. Their breakfast had almost burnt when he grabbed her by her pink whistle and kissed the life out of her in the middle of their kitchen.

Thankfully, for their breakfast (not Jensen’s more carnal urges), Cooper and Jackson had woken up in time to let them know, in no uncertain terms, that their PDA was disgusting. Cooper had sarcastically added that he would be scarred for life and jokingly had told them that he would send them his therapy bill.

Jensen and Quinn loved their little six year-old smartass and had doubled over laughing. They hadn't had time for round two anyway, but it had been worth a shot. Jensen had been on cloud nine all morning once he'd been confident that Quinn was okay.

Jensen had asked his sexy little soccer coach, about five different times since they'd gotten out of the shower, if she was okay after her emotional meltdown in the early morning and was afraid that he would get smacked if he asked her again.

She had assured him that she was fine, each time, and had changed the subject. During breakfast, Quinn had made Jensen promise that he wouldn’t cheer too loudly for Jack and embarrass him.

He had pretended, with a straight face, that he had no idea what she'd been talking about. But after a cute stare down (and Quinn playfully threatening to feed his breakfast to the dogs), he'd promised to behave himself, but they'd both known he hadn't meant it. Even though it was just a t-ball practice and not a game, he was so proud of his kids. Quinn knew him well and forgave him for his enthusiasm. She even secretly loved it. There were worse things than her kids knowing that their dad loved them to pieces.

Jensen just wanted his step-kids to have the childhood that he'd never had. To Jensen, that meant showing up and supporting them as often as he could. His parents had never signed him or Annie up for sports nor had they taken any interest in them when they had been kids.

Jensen had been stoked when his niece Alyssa had finally got old enough to play a sport. He was a little sad that this was going to be the first game of hers that he was missing. He hoped that he could make there for the second half and make it up to her.

Jensen kept checking his phone all morning and there was still no word on when the team was shipping out. He was keeping his fingers crossed that he didn’t get the call during Jack’s practice. That would really suck. He had to drop Quinn off at the soccer field first. Then he and Coop can do their best “not to cheer” for Jack.

Jensen tried not to think about saying goodbye. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Jack and smelled his banana scented shampoo. He hoped that his kids wouldn’t look back on their childhoods and remember all of his absences. He thanked his lucky stars for them every single day.

But all of his sappy thoughts were interrupted when he heard a strange sound, Jensen looked up and saw Cooper dragging his skateboard out of the hallway closet. That was not part of the plan.

“Hey, no skateboard, Coop.” Jensen broke the news to the very disapointed six-year-old. “You’re hanging out with me while Jack does his thing.”

“Oh come on!”

“Sorry, little dude. There’s nowhere for you to skate at the baseball diamond. When Jack’s done we’ll scoot over and watch the end of Lyssa game, there’s tons of places there.”

“This sucks balls.” Coop pouted and dramatically ran his hand through his shaggy blonde hair.

Jensen pressed his lips together and tried not laugh. Cooper was such a punk sometimes and that was one of the many things that Jensen loved that about him.

“This is gunna be _booor-ing!”_

“Cooper Franklin Andrews. I heard that.” Quinn chastised from the kitchen. “Less attitude please. Alyssa and your brother need us today and Mallory can’t watch you, so you’re stuck with us. I promise we’ll make it up to you after.”

“You heard your mom.” Everyday Jensen sounded more and more like a father and it never failed to crack him up. “Don’t tick her off, okay. She had a rough morning.” It didn’t matter how many times Quinn told him that she was okay, Jensen would always look out for her.

Seeing that Cooper was still visually upset, pulled at Jensen's heart. He loved that kid and hated to disappoint him. Sitting around watching his little brother have fun was probably going to be boring for Coop. It made Jensen wished that he knew when the team was shipping out, so he could promise to take his biggest man cub out to the skate park later to make it up to him, but he didn’t want to make a date that he couldn’t keep.

“Can I stay with mom at the soccer field instead? It’s more fun there.”

“Sure, if ya wanna.” Jensen smiled. “But I kinda wanted to hang with you for a bit before I had to leave again.”

Jensen wiggled out from under Jackson and made his way over to his grumpy man cub. Cooper pouted just like his mom, Jensen just had to make the little punk smile.

“ _Daaad!”_ Cooper whined rolled his eyes as Jensen scooped him up and rubbed his beard against his cheek. “You’re so mushy. That tickles! Dude! Stop!”

Jensen laughed and stopped tickling him, but refused to put him down. Cooper pretended to be a tough guy at times, but his daddy always knew just how to break down his defenses and make him lighten up. After a second of dangling there in Jensen’s arms, a sweet smile stretched across Cooper’s face and he wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck and gave him a big bear hug.

“Yeah he is, Coop.” Quinn informed her petulant son as she came out of the kitchen. “You’re a lucky little boy to have a Daddy who is so mushy.”

“Hey! I’m not mushy.” Jensen mocked offense and shifted Cooper to one arm and hooked Quinn around her waist with the other and pulled her up against him. “I. Strong! I’m hard rock, lady!”

Quinn giggled as Jensen growled and playfully lifted her feet off the ground in one arm and held a dangling Cooper in the other.

“Ugh. You guys are gross!” Cooper whined as his dad started to pretend to bite his mom’s neck and shoulders. “If I can’t skate then I’m gunna get my book then.”

Jensen put them both down on their feet and waited until Cooper was out of sight before he kissed Quinn’s smiling lips.

“You all set, Coach Andrews?”

“Yup. I need coffee though. Like in an IV drip,” she groaned.

“We’ll hit the drive through,” he suggested. “Do you know what Annie takes in hers?”

“Yup. I bring her coffee to the hospital all the time. What about you? Any word yet from Clay?”

“Nope. But I did call the realtor. My place has officially been on the market for about 5 minutes.”

“Sweet. What about this?” Quinn tilted her head to the side and showed Jensen the side of her neck. She had spent the last few minutes after breakfast trying to cover up the hickey that Jensen had left on her that morning.

“I can’t see shit. You’re pretty good at that.”

“Well my guy gets a little carried away sometimes. It’s a necessary skill,” she quipped back. “I’ve had lot of practice,” she added with a playful growl and gave sharp slap to his butt.

“You love it,” he challenged and looked down at her through his long eyelashes and pretended to stare her down.

She accepted his challenged and crossed arms and refused to smile or break eye contact.

“...wait you do love it, don’t you?” Jensen suddenly doubted himself and Quinn finally cracked and started laughing.

“I’m just kidding, tough guy.” She giggled and gave him a shove. “You didn’t hear me complainin’, did ya?”

He grabbed her hand on his chest and pulled her against him.

“Punk.” he teased.

“...your punk.” She smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth.

“Mommy! You gots a text! You left it on the coffee table!” Jackson ran up and handed his mom her phone and looked so proud of himself for being helpful.

“Thank you, little love. Go find your new cleats, okay. You guys are gotta drop me off at the field soon.”

Jackson took off and left them alone and Jensen took a moment to wrap his arms around her and slip his hands inside her little soccer shorts to grab her ass while she checked her messages. He wasn’t sure what look drove him crazy more, Quinn in a pair of sexy heels or her wearing the Petunia’s coaches uniform. It was easily a draw as far as he was concerned. He was a very lucky man.

He squeezed her ass and kissed her forehead when she read something on her phone that seemed to annoy her.

“What is it?”

“Charlie.” she sighed. “He's trying to sell me off again. He has another meeting set up a with a potential publisher.”

After exhausting almost every legal loophole to try and get her out of her book deal, her literary agent, and longtime friend had devised a plan to try and get another publishing house buy out the rest of her contract. It seemed like a decent plan, but Quinn was sure that her ex-mother-in-law, Catherine, would never let her wiggle out from under her thumb so easily.

Quinn hated the idea of working for Ryan’s family and possibly making them money. She could just peacefully retire and never publish another novel or children’s book again, but she hated the idea of them taking her career away from her even more than them profiting off of her. She had two more books left in her children's book series and her novel was nearly finished. Then she would be free of them. Fuck them. Quitting was not an option.

“That’s a good thing, right?” Jensen took his hands off her ass and rubbed her back. He wished he could just hack into something and make things right for her. It took all of his self restraint not to try and ruin their company after what they'd tried to do to his family. But he was trying to be a decent family man. Risking jail time wasn’t an option, it didn’t matter how tempting and satisfying revenge would be.

“It is a good thing...I guess, it could be. I just hate having to promote and sell myself, ya know? Charlie even told me to _‘dress expensive’_ So no pressure right?”

“Well, if our closet is any indication, I’m sure you can pull that off right?” he dryly teased.

Quinn smirked at him gave him a playful smack.

“Yeah, I’ll break out the Chanel bag and the Burberry trench coat. I’ll play the part….”

“Atta girl. I don’t know what any of that means, but I know that my girl knows how ta shop, huh?” Jensen kissed her temple and felt a stab of guilt knowing that there was a good chance that he wouldn’t be there to support her when she had her big meeting.

“Maybe I’ll take that box you gave me? For luck. I’m sure it’ll fit in my bag.”

Jensen doubled over and barked out a loud laugh.

“You are NOT taking my old weed box to an important meeting with potential publishers! It’s bad enough you have it displayed out in the open in the living room!” He couldn’t stop laughing, she was adorable.

“Hey! Stop laughing at me!” She giggled. “I need all the luck I can get!”

“I’m not laughin’ at cha.” He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “I might have something a little bit better for ya that won’t have you smelling like a Bob Marley tribute band.”

Jensen took her hand and lead her down the hall and into their room. Quinn humored him and sat down on the their bed while Jensen went into their closet and came back out with the box that he had brought back from his condo a few days ago.

He put the small box down on the dresser and started to go through it. He dug around and pulled out a square hardcover wirebound notebook, a few old cords and military related trinkets until he found the small velvet pouch that he was looking for and handed it to her with a sweet shy smile.

“Here ya go. You don’t have to wear it if you don’t wanna. It’s a men’s watch and all, but you have a few that are about this size already sooo…”

Quinn took the gold watch out of the pouch and started to wind it up and adjust the time. It was a simple Swiss design that she could easily wear everyday. It was lovely, but the way that Jensen was looking from her to the watch had Quinn thinking that there was more to that old watch then meets the eye.

“Albert gave me that when I enlisted.” Jensen spoke to the watch in her hand. Lost in his memories. “It belonged to his dad. Maybe I’ll give it to Coop one day?”

Albert Dean was Casey’s father and, judging by the stories that Jensen had told her, he had been the only real father figure that Jensen had had growing up. Jensen, unfortunately, had had to make the decision to run away from home with his sister Annie when he'd only been fifteen-years-old. His grandparents had taken them both in and, as luck would have it, the Dean family had lived next door. Quinn couldn’t wait to meet them, but tried to be patient. When it came to Jensen’s past, she understood why he was so hesitant. But the way that Jensen spoke of them had her loving both of them already.

“It’s beautiful.”

“No, it’s not.” He puffed out a laugh. “It’s just an old watch. You have ones that are a lot nicer. It might not fit with Charlie’s ‘dress expensive’ dress code, but this one has always been kinda lucky for me.”

“It _is_ beautiful, Jake.” she insisted. Quinn was full of emotion as she fashioned it to her wrist. It was a bit big on her, but she couldn’t stop smiling at it. “Thank you. I mean it, baby. Thank you. I love it. I’m sure it’ll bring me luck, too.”

Quinn looked so genuinely happy, it made Jensen’s heart swell just watching her beauty radiate from her.

“Maybe some of that luck with rub off of the Petunias today, huh?” he suggested with laughter in his voice.

“Let’s hope! We’re playing the freakin’ Marigolds again!”

Quinn noticed the old wirebound notebook he'd pulled out of his box sitting on the dresser and got up off the bed to take a better look. Jensen saw what she was curious about and quickly beat her to it and tried to stuff it back into the box.

“Okaaay?” She was so confused, it wasn’t like Jensen to hide anything from her. This was new.

“Shit.” Jensen was busted and ran his hand down his chin.

“What is it?...Is it porn?” She laughed. “I like porn. Wait! Is it like crazy porn? Like clown porn or something?”

Jensen rolled his eyes and handed the book over without looking at her.

“It’s okay, Jensen. If it’s private I don’t need to see it…” she tried to reassure him in a more serious way. If she didn’t know better, she’d think that Jensen was nervous about her opening the notebook.

“Naw. It’s just… it’s just dumb. Don’t laugh, okay.”

Quinn gave him a mock serious nod and crossed her heart and he rolled his eyes at her again. She slowly opened the notebook and found that it was actually a sketch book. She was confused for a moment until she realized that Jensen must have been the one to draw them. She ran her fingertips over the pencil sketches in awe. They were amazingly detailed, she had no idea that he was so talented. How could she not have known?

“You? You did these?”

Jensen sheepishly nodded his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

Quinn flipped through the pages and it was like she was entering Jensen’s brain. It started with more juvenile drawings of werewolves, superheroes and army tanks and lead into portraits of people and women with comically big boobs.

As she turned the pages and got deeper into the book, the drawings became more sophisticated. There were still lots of boobs, but Jensen had also started to draw landscapes and situations that he must have experienced with the team. Little bits of computer code that she couldn’t understand were scribbled in the margins. She had to giggle at one image of her brother looking comically mean and intimidating with a large cigar in mouth.

“These aren’t dumb, baby.” Quinn found herself breathless with wonderment. “These are amazing.”

Jensen stuffed his hands in his pocket and looked away embarrassed by her praise. Drawing had always been a therapeutic way to shut off his brain and help him through some of the darker times in his life. It felt nice to share it with Quinn, he loved the look of her face as she scanned the pages. The only three people that he had ever shown before were Casey, Cougar and his sister.

It felt right to share it with Quinn. He should have shown her along time ago.

When Quinn got close to the end of the book, she turned the page and it took a moment for her to process what she was seeing. She blinked and focused on a sketch of a woman that looked exactly like her.

It was a picture of her. The whole time that she was flipping through all of Jensen’s artwork it never dawned on her that she would be one of the many faces looking up at her from the page.

She was smiling in the portrait and was holding a moving box. The drawing next to it on the page was a full length sketch of her wearing her daisy duke denim shorts.

She looked up from the book with happy tears in her eyes. She was so touched to be one of the many people that he had drawn from memory.

“When you first moved in,” he quietly explained. “I was crazy about you even then…”

Quinn heart swelled and she tried not to let her tears fall down her cheeks as she turned the page, but what she found only served to make her more emotional. There were more and more images of her face that he had drawn scattered all over the next few pages. No other face held so many pages of honor in his book.

Some were little sketches that focused solely on her lips and others just a pair of eyes stared back at her. She smiled at his handwriting in the corner of one page, it said, “Make a move you fucking dumbass!”

“I couldn’t talk to you.” Jensen had forgotten that he had written that and puffed out a chuckle. “I was so fucking awkward...I didn’t want to say the wrong thing. Plus, I figured that Clay would shoot me if I hit on you.” He laughed.

“I’d see you and the kids in the hall..” he continued. “...and I just couldn’t get you off my mind. Trust me, I tried. I tried to ask you out. But I’d always choke. We’d walk the dogs together and I’d be so pissed off that I didn’t make a move. I’d come home and draw you over and over again and try and get you out of my system. At the time I thought that if anyone saw them I’d think I was turning into the guy from The Shining.”

“Baby…” She swallowed hard and wasn’t sure what to say. “I had no idea. I was so dumb back then, too. I thought...I just didn’t know that I was _‘wantable’_ you know? But, for the record I was always sure thing.”

“You were very wantable, Quinn.” he reassured her and watched her blush. “You still are.”

“You were, too. I think I knew how special you were from the beginning...But -” She giggled “-If I had seen these before I fell in love with you, I probably would have thought you were a psycho!” she teased.

Jensen rolled his eyes at her and puffed out a small laugh.

“I love you. I’m glad you’re my psycho.” Quinn beamed and kissed the corner or his mouth as he puffed out another laugh.

Discovering Jensen’s sketchbook was such a beautiful and meaningful surprise. She wasn’t sure if she had even seen him draw before other than coloring with boys from time to time. She'd had no idea that he was so talented. Judging by age of his sketch book, he’d been drawing for years.

“Why do you hide this in a box? How come I’m just seeing this book now?”

“I dunno. Force of habit?” he confessed and rubbed the back of his neck again. “I’ve been hiding shit like this for as long as I can remember. My dad never thought that drawing was the manliest hobby...he used to call me every single gay slur he knew. He made up a few new ones, too. He was always so fuckin’ terrified that I was gay. I hated that sonofabitch so much, I almost wished that I was sometimes just to fuck with him.”

A dark look crossed Jensen’s eyes and it made Quinn hate Jensen’s father more than she already did. Quinn didn’t tolerate any of that kind of bullshit and she was proud of the fact that Jensen didn’t either.

Afterall, some of the most important people in their lives were gay. Last year Quinn had had the honor of being a part of her agent Charlie’s wedding party and Jensen’s childhood friend Casey was living with her girlfriend Leise in New York. Even if they hadn't personally known anyone who was gay, they would both still find that kind of intolerance completely unacceptable.

Quinn didn’t need another reason to hate Jensen’s father, but she could add being a homophobic asshole to her long list of grievances. She had never met the man and wished that the same could be true for Jensen.

Jensen watched her eyes go from happy and bright to dark and narrow thinking about his father and felt bad about bringing him up. Jacob Jensen Senior wasn’t known to bring out the warm and fuzzy feelings in people. Jensen tucked some of Quinn’s hair behind her ear and tried to give her a playful smile.

“Fuck him.” Quinn spat out before he could successfully comfort her.

“Obviously, I’m not into dudes, Qball. If this morning was any indication...” he teased and tried to make her smile.

“No, Jensen.” she snapped. “Seriously. Fuck him.”

“Yeah.” Jensen nodded his head and started to flex his right hand. He massaged his knuckles with his other hand and agreed with her. “Fuck him is right. My parents are just a trip, dude. The only person that they seemed to hate more than me was each other. I’m so glad that we’re not like that...”

Quinn hugged his sketchbook and nodded in agreement. Jensen was her best friend, she wasn’t just in love with him, she liked him as a person. She couldn’t image hating him or either of her sons, for that matter. What the fuck was wrong with those people? It was a mystery to her how they could have raised such a wonderful man.

“You know, he found that book under my bed once when I was 12.”

Jensen’s whole demeanor changed and Quinn knew that he was reliving that memory in his head. Only this time, Jensen wasn’t a scared confused kid. He was an adult that was disgusted and pissed off over what had happened to him.

Quinn wasn’t sure if she wanted to know all of the ugly details, but decided to be brave for him. She loved all of him, the good and bad. Together they could face anything and she would walk through fire if it would help him heal.

“What happened when he found it?”

Jensen’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked scared to tell her. His hesitation sent a chill down her spine.

“What did he do, baby?” she asked again slowly and as softly as she could. “You can tell me. You can tell me all of the fucked up shit that they did. Those people can’t can’t hurt now. I won’t let them.”

“My little badass.” Jensen pressed his lips together and reached out and smoothed her hair. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. Touching her helped, but talking about this shit was hard. He flexed his hand again and tried to keep his shit together.

“I mean it, Jake. I won’t let those evil assholes anywhere near you again. I love you and I always will. You didn’t have anyone to protect you back then, but you do now.”

She tried not to cry when her words made him stand up straighter and sniff away his tears. He looked like a soldier trying to fight off all of his old demons. She was shaking but she was more than willing to help him and fight alongside him. They were a team.

“You don’t have to tell me now, Jake.” she continued. “Tell me when you’re ready. Tell me all of it. Don’t bottle it up and let them keep fucking with you. Having it all be out in the open and getting past it takes away their power. They don’t deserve to have any power over you, not anymore.”

“He found it and he broke my fucking hand...” Jensen quickly spit out and held up his right hand.

Saying it out loud felt strange, as if he was talking about someone else. Some weaker forgotten version of himself. But Quinn was right, he couldn’t let them have any power over him now as an adult. He had worked so hard to suppress all those memories that it almost didn’t feel real anymore. But he kept flexing his right hand and he remembered how painful it had been.

“He found that fucking book filled with werewolves and boobs and he broke my hand to stop me from drawing. Can you believe that? My fucking hand. I was 12. He was always such a motherfucker…she let it happen, too. Said it was for my own good.”

“On purpose?” she asked with her chin quivering.

Jensen’s mouth made a grim line and he nodded his head.

Quinn was horrified and the air caught in her throat. She couldn’t process what Jensen had just told her and was dumbfounded. Jensen really had gone through that? What kind of monster does that to a 12-year-old child? Worse than that, what kind of a mother could look the other way and just let it happen to her kid? Quinn would fight to until her dying breath for Cooper and Jack; the idea of allowing someone to hurt them was preposterous.

Jensen had already told her so much about his childhood, a part of her knew that something ugly like that was coming, but she was still unprepared.

 She knew that his parents had been terrible, but Jensen had never been so specific about the physical abuse he'd endured. Most of it had been neglect or emotional and physiological abuse at the hands of his mother. He barely spoke about his father.

No child deserved to be treated like that, but especially not Jensen of all people. The man she knew was so kind and generous and full of life, she could only imagine how lovable he'd been as a child. The injustice was beyond frustrating.

If those two people, who didn't deserve to be called parents, had been standing in their bedroom in that moment, Quinn was sure that Jensen would have to physically restrain her from clawing both their eyes out.

Quinn took Jensen’s right hand and pressed it up against her cheek and Jensen couldn’t help, but smile at her attempts to love it all away. He fucking loved that girl. He didn’t know how she did it, but she always found a way to make him stronger.

He could feel, in that moment, how strong her heart was and how hard she loved him. He was so lucky to have her didn’t feel worthy of her love, but he never wanted her to stop either.

“You didn’t let them stop you, though. Even back then you didn’t let them win.” She kissed the palm of his hand and gave him a sad smile. She wished that she could go back in time and stop all of that abuse from happening to him and his sister. They were the best people she knew, it wasn’t fair.

“I’m proud of you, Jake. I’m so fucking proud of you. You kept drawing…I saw them. They just got better and better.”

“Yeah.. Well, like you said. ‘Fuck him.’ Annie found my notebook and gave it back to me after the cast came off. I’ve been kinda hiding it ever since.”

“Thank you for letting me see it.” Quinn tried not to cry and kissed his hand again. “Can you please do something for me?”

“Anything, baby.” he whispered and watched her press her lips against each one of his knuckles and brought his hand back to her cheek again.

“I don’t want you to hide it anymore. Maybe you could put your sketchbook out on one of the bookcases in the living room, or even here in our bedroom. I just don’t want you to worry about hiding your art from anyone. You’re safe here, this is your home. Try and be more open about it. At least with us. Maybe draw with the kids more…”

“Jesus, Quinn, if anyone ever tried to touch Cooper or Jack like that…” Jensen shook his head and tried to remain in control.

If his father was ever in the same room as his kids, Jensen was pretty sure that he would kill him with his bare hands before introductions were even made.

He was so relieved that his parents were out of his life. He hadn’t heard from his father in over five years and his mother only came around when she needed money. Once she'd finally started to understand that he didn’t really have any, she'd stopped sniffing around. Neither Jensen or Annie had heard from her in two years. As far as he knew, his parents were still legally married, but only because they were too lazy and cheap to get divorced.

Jensen was so proud of the relationship that he had with Quinn. As much as he wanted to marry her, their relationship was the exact opposite of what he'd grown up with. Marriage was no guarantee of happiness. Jacob and Felicia Jensen were proof of that.

Neither one of his parents knew about Quinn or the boys and Jensen wanted to keep it that way. All it would take was a Google search for them to suspect that Quinn was worth some money. Jensen shuddered at the thought of them hitting her up for a “loan”.

“I know, Papa Bear. Me, too.” Quinn finished his chilling thought for him and nuzzled her cheek into the palm of his large hand. “No one is ever going to hurt our kids.”

Jensen gave her a shy, lopsided smile and pulled her towards him and softly kissed her lips.

“I’m so sorry about them, Quinn. I don’t want all of this shit in your head.”

“Hey, don’t do that. They are not your fault. What they did to you and Annie is _not_ your fault either. And besides, your shit is my shit.”

They stared at each other straightfaced for a moment before they both burst out laughing at how absurd that sounded.

“Come on, Mommy and Daddy!” Jackson screamed happily at the top of his lungs. “I found my shoes! Duke hided them under my bed!”

“Duke hid them. Not hided.” Quinn call out, to corrected him, and wiped away the stray tears from her eyes. She had done more than enough crying that morning and was sure that she was going to look like a scary mess by the time they made it to the soccer field.

“He hid ‘em, but I founded them!”

“We’ll be there in a minute, buddy!” Jensen called back. “He’s five. We’ll work on his grammar in the truck.” he smiled down at Quinn.

Quinn smiled back at him and carefully closed his sketchbook. She ran her fingertips over the cover again and gave the book a kiss before she went to put it back in the dresser. She was going to let Jensen decided when or if he was ready to have it come out of hiding.

Jensen smiled at her cuteness and took his book from her and found a page near the back that he wanted her to see. He kissed her forehead and handed it back to her and waited for her reaction.

It was two pages of sketches he'd drawn of the boys.

Between Jensen’s painful confession and all of these beautiful discoveries, the tears that she had been trying to hold back fell from her eyes once again.

“You’re the best dad, you know that?” She sniffed without taking her eyes off the happy drawings of their children. This was the way that he always saw them, even from the beginning. They were never a burden or an obstacle to dating her. They were always his kids, too.

“Naw. I’m just mushy, remember?”

Quinn smiled warmly and turned the page. What she saw made her good mood vanish and she rolled her eyes with a huff.

“Shit. Sorry...But hey, in my defense, I never thought you’d see this.”

Quinn raised an eyebrow and was still unimpressed.

“...it’s like my diary, babe!” Jensen went into damage control and tried to explain.

“Maybe having this out in the open isn’t such a great idea after all.” Quinn huffed and slammed the book shut before pushing it into his chest.

“Babe! Come on. It’s personal…I promise, no one is ever going to see it!” he tried to explain as she left him alone in their bedroom.

Jensen opened his sketch book to the offending page and reexamined his work. He thought that the nude and topless portraits that he drew of Quinn was pretty good considering that fact that he hadn’t even seen her naked at the time he drew them.

“Don’t be mad, Qball! You do look smokin’, though!”

He heard their front door open and he was worried that she was going to leave without him. He dropped his book on the dresser and jogged out to catch them.

“Hey. I just gave you my lucky watch, lady.”

“You’re gunna need it, Picasso. Are you sure you don’t want it back?” she menacingly teased.

She wasn’t happy that there was a nude drawings of her, but wasn’t nearly as mad as she was letting on. It’s not like she posed for them or anything, she was mostly just messing with him.

“Picasso? Hey, all of your bits and pieces were proportional and exactly where they’re supposed to be.” He chuckled and motioned to her chest.

The boys giggled at their dad and Jensen promised to show them some Picasso paintings on his phone in the car to explain to them what they were talking about. He was going to let them be as artist as they wanted to be, unlike his own father.

“Keep talkin’, J.” Quinn scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“What? You gunna chop off my ear?”

“I’m tempted, but that’s Van Gogh.” Quinn dryly volley back.

Cooper and Jackson had no idea what they were talking about, but thought their parents were hilarious and burst out laughing. Quinn couldn’t keep a straight face either and laughed along as well.

“Come on, chuckles. We’re gunna be late and I need coffee.” She laughed as she locked up behind them.

Jensen wrapped his arm around his girl as they walked down the hall and kissed her temple.

“Forgive me?”

“You’re forgiven.” she sighed. Gosh she was going to miss him when he left. She turned her head and kissed his right hand again. “At least you didn’t make my boobs all comic book sized.”

“Dude, they kinda already ar-”

Quinn smacked him before he could finish his sentence and ran up the hall and chased after the boys.

Jensen watched his family laugh and tackle each other with hugs and, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember why he was leaving them again.


	7. "Coach Andrews: 1st Half"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen and Quinn are surprised to see an old face show up at their weekly Petunia game.
> 
> Author’s Note: Events that took place during “Money’s Worth” are discussed/recapped.

Quinn was trying her hardest to be a good sport and not snap at her family as they held what seemed like the loudest, most annoying sing along in human history as they all drove together in Jensen’s truck. She hadn't had her coffee yet and was doing her best to keep her shit together.

Jensen was oblivious to her irritation as he happily kept encouraging the boys to belt out “Never Gunna Give You Up” by Rick Astley.

Quinn discreetly rolled her eyes and felt like they couldn’t get to the soccer field fast enough, but she needed coffee first. She tried to hide her annoyance and counted down the seconds until she could jump out of Jensen’s truck and hang out with Annie and Alyssa for the day and escape all the madness for a moment. Jensen and the boys could sing as loudly as they wanted to after they dropped her off and headed to Jackson’s t-ball practice.

She deserved a medal for not losing her mind. She couldn’t believe that after being kept up all night she was literally being “Rick Rolled” by her family.

It didn’t take Jensen long to clue into how annoyed Quinn had been when, out of the corner of his eye, he had seen her look visibly relieved when he had to turn the radio off when they entered the Starbucks drive thru. He reached over and squeezed her thigh to apologize, even though he wasn’t all that sorry. He loved goofing off with the kids and had every intention of doing it again. But he loved her for not spoiling their fun.

As soon as Jensen rolled down his window he laughed out, “Oh. Okay then,” when Quinn practically dove into his lap leaning over him to make her order. Even though he’d bought her coffee many times, Quinn wasn’t going to chance him messing it up. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Jensen leaned back into his seat and let her have her way, but playfully took her earlobe between his lips to mess with her. When that didn't seem to bother her, he upped the ante and dragged his full bottom lip up the side of her neck and chuckled when she closed her eyes.

Quinn pretended to be unphased, but squeezed his thigh hard in an attempt to get him to stop to allow her focus. He took the hint and tried not to get too excited smelling her vanilla and coconut perfume; winding her up was too much fun. Especially when she was wearing her Petunia’s coach’s uniform.

Instead, he took a deep breath and slyly cupped her ass while she leaned over him and continued with her long order. He had smiled proudly and had been very impressed that Quinn had known exactly how his sister took her coffee. The two of them were getting closer and closer every day. On average, Quinn probably got more texts from Annie in a week that he had gotten from his little sister in the past three months.

All of his singing and sexy teasing must not have bothered her too badly, because Quinn ended up ordering him his regular coffee, as well, once she had been finished ordering her and Annie’s.

Jensen thoughtfully paid for all three coffees while Quinn took a sip of her grande, non-fat, half sweet, hazelnut latte with an extra shot of espresso and all was finally well with the world. She closed her eyes and took another big sip and hummed in delight.

“Mommy, can we listen to the Freaky song?” Cooper asked from the backseat, followed by cheers from his little brother.

“‘The Freaky song?’ What kind of crappy music is your mother playing for you guys!” Jensen scoffed with a cocky smile.

“Sure, Buddy. One sec.” Quinn tried to find a place to sit her coffee down, but Jensen motioned for her not to bother.

“No worries, babe. I got it. You seem to be having a little love affair with your latte. I wish I knew how to make your eyes roll back like that. Enjoy your caffeine fix, pretty lady.” Jensen teased.

“Hmmm, I will.” Quinn purred and took another sip. “And trust me, you could write a book on how to make my eyes roll back. Remind me not to try and order my coffee from your lap again, big guy,” she added with a chuckle. “I almost forgot to add my extra shot.”

“Oh, I’ll give ya an extra shot.” Jensen teased and wiggled his eyebrows like a dork. He wasn’t sure if it was him or her coffee that made her smile, but he decided to take the win.

Quinn sighed happily and leaned her head on Jensen’s broad shoulder as they pulled away from the Starbucks parking lot and hit the road again. She was getting too old for all nighters. At least Jensen looked well rested, even if it was at her expense. Hopefully the caffeine would start to work its magic and she’d start feeling like a human being again. It wasn’t even noon yet and between their sexy morning and Jensen’s emotional confessions after breakfast, Quinn had felt like she’d already been put through the wringer.

“So my man cubs wanna listen to the ‘The Freaky Song’ huh? Your mom has shit taste in music by the way.” Jensen mumbled under his breath before he kissed the top of Quinn’s head and turned on their Spotify account on the dash screen.

He couldn’t help but bark out a loud laugh when he read the name of Quinn’s new playlist.

“QBall’s Shitty Music (FU J! xo)”

“Well played, babe.” Jensen praised as he found the song that the boys were after.

The “Freaky song” that the boys wanted was Missy Elliot’s "Get UR Freak On", a song older than both of them. Jensen shook his head as he played with the bass levels on his sound system to humor them.

This time it was Quinn and the boys that had a loud obnoxious sing along. Jensen was impressed that his kids practically knew all the words and had no problem being crazy and silly with each other. Matching DNA was so overrated, Cooper and Jackson couldn’t be more his kids.

Jensen kept checking out their smiling faces in the rearview mirror, the two of them were the best of friends and it showed. He loved watching the two of them together. It didn’t feel right for him to take any credit for how well they’d been raised so far. Quinn would quickly disagree, but he felt that honor fell to her. But Jensen loved them all the same and couldn’t be more proud of them.

Jensen couldn’t believe that he had only known his kids for a year. He couldn't really remember his life before them or his life before Quinn, too, for that matter.

By the the second verse, Jensen had caved and started singing along, too. He couldn’t help it. Quinn was getting into it to and acting ridiculous while she danced in her seat and rapped along using her coffee cup as a microphone. Jensen beamed at her with pride and reached over and held her thigh in his hand as he drove the rest of the way to the soccer field. It was fun and if anyone lived for a good time it was Jensen. His silly family was the best.

But Jensen’s good mood was short lived when he pulled into the parking lot and had to blink a few times in confusion when he saw that his ex-girlfriend Amanda was there a few spaces beside them locking up her car. His heart sank as he turned off the stereo.

Amanda looked up and smirked at them and gave Jensen a wink before sauntering out to the soccer field.

Jensen and Quinn both knew that Amanda was working for Chloe, the Petunia’s head coach, but that didn’t explain why she was there and wearing the same Petunia’s coach’s uniform as Quinn’s.

Annie was there in the parking lot, as well, and caught the angry confused look on her big brother’s face. She gave him and Quinn an apologetic look and shrugged. Annie had no idea what was going on either.

“Looks like Mandi is still working for Chloe.” Quinn dryly stated the obvious and let out a deep sigh.

“I can’t believe this shit.” Jensen had been understandably aggravated by her presence and Quinn tried to comfort him by giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“It doesn’t matter, Jake.” Quinn stated as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “We just gotta get used to seeing her around, I guess.”

“Dude, fuck that. You know she’s always trying to start some shit.”Jensen spat out. “I don’t wanna leave you here alone. I should stay.”

Jensen remembered all too well what happened during the Petunia’s fundraiser a few weeks ago when Mandi tried to “buy” him at auction. A chill ran down his spine recalling how Quinn had had to lay down five grand to keep his exes scheming hands off him. Amanda got some kind of sick pleasure out messing with him since they broke up and now she had seemingly turned her unwanted attention towards messing with Quinn.

Jensen had to admit that it probably bothered him more than it bothered his little badass. But he was still pissed off about that fundraiser and how she had tried to embarrass them.

Amanda was gorgeous, but she didn’t have a charitable bone in her body. She always had an ulterior motive for everything and had hurt Jensen so many times in the past. The last time she had started poking around, she had wanted him to hack into a revenge porn site and get her compromising videos taken down. She hadn't cared how illegal it was or what kind of risk it put Jensen at or that he had just started a new relationship with Quinn. Who knew why she'd wanted to buy that date with him. But he knew it wasn’t out of the kindness of her heart.

Jensen hated how Amanda would look through Quinn like she didn’t exist and try and to flirt with him in front of her. But that was the least of Mandi’s transgressions. The worst being when she'd used the abortion she'd chosen to have, close to two years ago, as a weapon to destroy him. He hated to admit, but he still carried that experience with him.

After Amanda had chosen a hair appointment over picking him up from the hospital after his knee surgery, he'd finally had enough of her selfish antics and he had dumped her and had kicked her out of his condo. But before she'd left, she'd let him know that she had been pregnant and had chosen to end the pregnancy without telling him.

He had been shocked and sad, to say the least, but ultimately he had known that it had been her own decision and had tried to respect it. But when he'd asked her how she'd come to her decision, she had coldly played on all of his fears by telling him that she'd known that he’d be a terrible father.

Amanda had always hated his job and the fact that his paycheck hadn't been up to her standards. She'd insisted that he had no business raising a child. She'd blamed him for everything and had done her best to rip his heart out. It had been beyond cruel and unfair how she'd made it seem like he had been the one responsible for her choice.

Between Jensen’s horrible childhood and Amanda making him doubt himself, Quinn was impressed that he'd found the strength and confidence to open his heart to the boys when she' met him six months after Amanda's departure. But Jensen had always insisted that loving Cooper and Jackson and becoming their step dad had been the easiest thing in the world.

“But daddy! I wanna hit a homerun!” Jack whined from the backseat when he had thought that his dad was going to stay with his mom and not take him to his t-ball practice.

“I can stay here with mommy, daddy.” Cooper added having overheard his dad’s concerns. “I won’t let anything bad happen.”

“Thanks, Coop, but there’s no need for that.” Quinn sung out as pleasantly as she could. She hated that her kids went from excited to worried in a matter of seconds. “I’ll be fine. Nothing bad is going to happen. Right, J?”

“Everybody’s good, Coop. Don’t worry, okay.” Jensen reassured him and gripped the steering wheel hard and heard the leather creak.

Jensen hated freaking his kids out, Cooper shouldn’t feel like he was responsible for anything more than his homework and remembering his manners.

“Can I still hit a homerun?”

“You can sure try to, little love.” Quinn gave her son a warm smile before she whispered to Jensen. “Take Jack to his practice. I will be fine. I’m not alone, Annie is here. Besides she’s just annoying, not dangerous.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“She’s not my favorite person either, but realistically what can she really do? It’s been, what? Two years since you broke up? Don’t let her get to you.”

Annie had gone to the back of Jensen’s truck and was already pulling out the supplies for the team. Before Quinn could jump out to help her, Jensen pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. He held her face between his hands and tilted her head to the side to deepen his bruising kiss. She tried to kiss him back, but he had been kissing her much too hard for her to move her lips.

He was being far too dramatic, he nearly took her breath away when it should have been a simple chaste kiss goodbye. He was anxious, she could sense it a million miles away.

“Hey...” She looked him in the eye and tried to get him to look back at her.

Jensen knew what she was thinking and let her face go and ran the palm of his hand down his mouth and chin.

Wade assaulting her in New York had him seeing boogie men everywhere. They both knew that he was overreacting. His last therapy session had centered around him putting extra undue stress on himself by trying to control things that were out of his hands. One important factor in keeping his PTSD in check was managing his stress levels. She could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to calm down and follow his therapist's advice.

“Breathe and have fun with the boys, okay. You have been looking forward to this day for weeks, do not let her ruin it, okay. I love you for wanting to save me from every mean girl in the world, but I’ll be fine, I promise.” Jensen gave her a reluctant smile and she smiled back. “Go be a super dad. Remember, I want lots of videos, Mr. Comms & Tech.”

“Roger. Keep your phone on you, okay. If you need me I can be here in about 15 minutes.” When she seemed to dismiss him Jensen cutely grabbed her face in his hand and squished her cheeks together. “I mean it. I love you, Coach Andrews.”

Quinn made a fishy face with her lips and Jensen kissed her funny pouty lips once more before he let go of her face. She giggled and playfully scratched his goatee with her fingers like he was a puppy, before she grabbed her and Annie’s coffees and jumped out of the truck.

“Be good for your dad, okay?” Quinn called into the back seat to her kids. “I mean it you, little monkeys!”

Jensen rolled down his driver side window to say hi to Annie and Quinn could hear him say, “Look out for her okay.” Annie quickly agreed and saluted him and he asked her if she needed any help carrying all the soccer equipment out to their field, but she refused and sent him on his way.

Quinn could hear the boys giggling as they drove off and watched Jensen look back at her over his shoulder twice before he finally drove away. He really didn’t want to leave her there, but Quinn had faith that her guy would be back to his silly dorky self by the time he got to baseball diamond.

“Hey, Sweetie. Please tell me one of those are for me.” Annie smiled her usual bright and friendly smile as she swung the giant net bag of soccer balls over her shoulder.

“You betcha.” Quinn smiled and handed Annie her coffee. “Hey, I gotta ask. What’s with...you know who?”

“Who? The tall blonde Amazonian supermodel that lives on human tears and suffering?” Annie quipped.

Quinn barked out a loud laugh and followed Annie out onto the field. Many of the girls on the Petunias saw them coming and their faces lit up and they waved wildly at the two of them.

“I have no clue.” Annie continued. “After the fundraiser, I poked around and heard somewhere that Amanda’s new boyfriend just dumped her and went back to his wife and kids. But Chloe didn’t say anything to me about her being a new coach. But I swear, that bitch had better watch her step around Alyssa, I’m not playing. I met her once when her and Jake first started dating and I told him after that not to bring her around my kid.”

“Ouch.” Quinn took a sip of her coffee and was proud of Annie for making a good parenting call. Annie worked as an ER nurse and was a pretty good judge of character.

“Amanda always wanted to get Jake to score big, you know?” Annie explained they walked across the soccer field and drank their coffees. “It didn’t matter to her how he did it. She figured that he should just hack into a bank or something and set her up for life. It didn’t matter that he could spend his life in jail.”

“Double ouch. Well I guess it’s safe to say that I’m your favorite then, huh?” Quinn teased.

“Safe bet, smartass. You’re the real deal.” Annie smiled as she took another big sip of her coffee. “Case in point. Nice watch, by the way.”

Quinn looked down at Jensen’s lucky watch and then back at Jensen’s sister and giggled when Annie knowingly smiled winked up at her.

Quinn couldn’t help, but bring her fingertips to her lips and had regretted that she hadn’t kissed Jensen longer in the truck. They had both been through so much that morning all she wanted to do was love him harder than his parents had hurt him. Maybe one day she could love him back together.

“He showed me his sketch book, too.” Quinn whispered as she admired the old gold watch. Knowing how much it meant to Jensen made her heart ache in such a good way.

“No shit!” Annie exclaimed. “Don’t tell anyone, but I think my big brother just might have a big crush on you.” Annie sarcastically sung out.

“Yeah, well I got a big crush on him, too. You should see the portraits he did of Coop and Jack, but I don’t wanna talk about it or I’ll cry and I don’t plan on feeding my tears to the evil walking Barbie Doll.”

“Ugh. Why does she have to look so perfect and yet be so completely dead inside?” Annie lemented as they got closed to their bleachers and saw Amanda waiting for them. “After that scene that she made at the auction I’m surprised that she’d show her perfectly symmetrical face here.”

“I guess some people have no shame.” Quinn shrugged. “I mean if she wanted to talk to Jensen she could have just asked him to talk instead of trying to buy him and cornering him into an uncomfortable ‘date’, you know?”

“You’re so cute. That girl didn’t want to ‘talk’ to Jake, Q.” Annie puffed out a knowing laugh. “She just didn’t want you to have him. Trust me, Jake looks a lot more appealing now that he’s taken. I don’t even remember her liking him all that much when they were together. She got dumped and she’s bored and looking for someone to stroke her ego and she thinks that Jake is an easy mark. Some girls are just like that.”

“Well some girls can just kiss my ass.” Quinn mumbled under her breath while she rolled her eyes. “She can knock herself out, Jensen and I are good. We’re better than good.”

“I know, sweetheart, you two are sickeningly sweet. You can see how happy the two of you are from space. Hopefully she’ll move on and fixate on someone else.”

“I almost feel sorry for whoever that poor guy is!” Quinn laughed.

Annie smiled and wrapped her arm around Quinn’s shoulders as they made their way to the rest of the team. Quinn rested her head on top of Annie’s and silently told herself that she wasn’t going to let Amanda ruin their Saturday. Quinn would love to give that woman a piece of her mind, but the Petunia soccer games were sacred for Team Jensen. They were there to have fun, not to start unnecessary cat fights. Amanda could do whatever she liked, there was nothing she could do to hurt her and Jensen.

Some of the girls had run down the field and met them halfway and they were all talking on top of each other trying to fill Annie and Quinn in on different exciting events that had happened to them during the week. They all laughed and caught up while Alyssa and one of her friends took the huge bag of soccer balls from her mom to help out. Their excited energy was infectious and Quinn started to feel a little better.

“Amanda.” Quinn nodded and greeted her as pleasantly as she could once they reached their bleachers. All of the girls were standing around and Quinn wanted to keep things civil for their sake. “Pink is a good color on you.”

“Hi, there...um. Sorry. What was your name again?”

Quinn could see past the fake bright smile that Amanda was giving her and felt all the negative vibes flowing freely from Jensen’s ex-girlfriend. Quinn blinked and quickly shook those vibes off.

Literally shook them off. Quinn quickly shook her head like she was erasing an etch a sketch and smiled back just as big. Obviously, Amanda knew exactly who she was and was trying to get under her skin. It wasn’t going to work.

“Her name is Quinn. But you can call her Coach Andrews. Who the hell are you?” Alyssa suspiciously asked the new coach in disgust. “Do you even have a kid on the team?”

The rest of the girls tried to hide their giggles and Annie wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders and discretely reprimanded her for her rudeness. But Quinn couldn’t have loved that little girl more. She resisted the urge to high five her niece, but gave her a small wink instead.

Amanda huffed for a second and stood up a little bit straighter and stuck her nose in the air. It took two seconds for the seven-year-old to clearly get under her skin. Quinn almost felt bad for her. How did Amanda plan on coaching a whole team of seven-year-olds with such a shitty attitude?

“I don’t need to have a daughter on this team.” Amanda curtly spat out and pointed her chin in Quinn’s direction. “She doesn’t!”

“She’s my aunt. Jeez, lady, don’t get so bent outta shape.” Alyssa rolled her eyes and Annie chastised her more firmly, but looked over to Quinn and the two women shared matching amused looks.

“Well, anyway. If you must know.” Amanda smiled a fake bubbly smile and flipped her shiny blonde hair over her shoulder. “My name is Amanda, but you all can call my Mandi. Chloe, your head coach, couldn’t make it today and sent me in her place. I’m her personal assistant and right now Chloe is feeling a little under the weather.”

Alyssa piped up said what everyone was thinking and loudly pretended to cough “hangover!” and Quinn covered her mouth to cover her laughter. She was glad that Chloe’s daughter, Emma, wasn’t within earshot to hear Alyssa slamming her mother. But it was unfortunately true that more times than not Chloe was nursing a hangover on Saturdays, that’s if she actually made it to the game at all.

“Okay, Petunias! Let's get started with some warm up drills, shall we.” Annie clapped her hands together and announced loudly without addressing her daughter’s nonexistent filter. “Everyone out on the field and get into formation.”

Before Alyssa joined the rest of the girls, she ran up to Quinn and gave her a quick hug. Quinn squeezed her back and kissed the top of her head. Alyssa was a Jensen through and through, Quinn adored that girl.

“Good luck out there, sweetie. The boys should be here with your uncle, cheering their hearts out, by the second half.”

“Awesome! Thanks, Auntie Q.”

Quinn took out her phone and quickly took a silly selfie of the two of them before Alyssa gave her a fist bump and turned on her heel and ran out to meet the rest of her friends.

Quinn smiled with pride when she heard her niece trying to psych up the rest of the team by clapping her hands and yelling “Let’s kick some Marigold butt!” She sounded just like her uncle sometimes.

Quinn saw that Madi was watching her and gave her a small nod and started to organize all her regular duties. Chloe was the head coach of the Petunia’s in name only. Whenever Chloe did show up for a game she was never much help and didn’t seem all that interested in the girls or the sport. Sending someone in her place was new, but Quinn and Annie were used to essentially coaching the team by themselves and both went about things as usual.

Quinn had never really helped with the actually coaching part of soccer, she left that to Annie, she was the pro. But Quinn would always arranged the team snacks with the rest of the parents and was great with all of the fundraising and administration work that came along with the girl’s soccer league.

The running debate between Jensen and Quinn was if her position on the team should be more aptly described as the team cheerleader or the team mascot. She was (much to Jensen’s dismay) probably more likely to jump in huge furry costume than a little skimpy cheerleading uniform. She was dorky like that so Quinn went with mascot over cheerleader.

But all in all it was a fun way to spend time with Annie and Alyssa and the three of them had only grown closer because of her involvement. Quinn was so happy that Annie had asked her to fill in for her a few times and that her honorary position just stuck and grew organically. She liked all of her little jobs, without Quinn, Chloe would actually have to do some works instead of sleeping off her champagne benders in her Mercedes in the soccer field parking lot.

There was a good chance that Chloe sent Amanda in her place to spy on them or start trouble. Quinn felt a chill going down her spine when she noticed Amanda walking over to her out of the corner of her eye. Quinn had a bad feeling but she told herself that was not going to take the bait. She intended to stay on her best behaviour...even if it killed her.

“‘Auntie Q,’ huh?” Mandi crossed her arms and chewed on the inside of her cheek as she pondered this new info. “Jacob and I dated for almost 7 months and I don’t think I ever met his niece.”

“No? That’s a shame. Alyssa is a really great girl.”

Amanda raised her eyebrows in disbelief and puffed out an incredulous laugh. When Quinn caught the sour look on her face she did her best to bite her tongue. Amanda was walking on thin ice if she thought she could insult Alyssa to her face and get away with it.

“Where is Jacob, anyway?” Mandi tried to innocently inquired. “Is he still in the parking lot? Should I go get him?”

Quinn shoulders fell and she took a deep breath and tried not to get too territorial over her boyfriend. But she hated it when Amanda used his full name. Probably because Quinn knew how much it bothered Jensen to share his father’s name. With the new information that Jensen had shared with her about his asshole father, Quinn was feeling more protective over him than usual.

“No worries. He’s not here.”

“Really, that’s odd. I thought that he would be here screaming in the bleachers and getting into fights with the ref. He never used to shut up about his niece's soccer games...until, of course, I found a better use for his mouth. If you know what I mean.” Amanda closed her eyes and let out a near sexual moan. “That mouth. I have a lot of fond memories of that mouth. Not many men would spend so much time eating -”

“He should be here for the second half.” Quinn interrupted Amanda’s obnoxious trip down memory lane. “He had to take our son to his t-ball practice.”

Quinn did her best not to be petty and emphasize the words “our son,” but instead opted to have her statement sound as normal as could be in order to subtly make Amanda understand that she was barking up the wrong tree.

Quinn hoped that the simple fact that they were a family would be enough for Amanda to drop the mean girl act and stop acting like she had some kind of claim to her boyfriend. Quinn couldn’t wait for the girl’s soccer game to start. Having Amanda talk about her past sex life with Jensen made her ill.

Instead, Amanda burst out laughing. She laughed so loud that people were starting to stare at them. Quinn was just about to turn her back on her and leave that woman laughing like a hyena by herself, but Amanda reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could successfully escape the situation.

“Your son? Like, as in yours and Jacob's together? That’s adorable! It’s so cute that you pretend like Jacob is some kind of father figure. Like he’d ever even be capable of such a thing,”

The longer she spoke, the harder her nails dug into Quinn’s arm. Quinn was stuck and knew that she couldn’t make a scene and draw attention to herself in front of all the parents in the bleachers. She tried to quietly pull away but Amanda refused to let her go.

“He’s a child. Just a buff broke overgrown man child that was decent in bed.” Amanda taunted. “It’s sad that you pretend to be some kind of family. What? Does he tuck them in at night and run back to his condo every night and play on his Xbox?”

“You don’t know the first thing about him.” Quinn tried to keep her voice down, but she was livid. “You never did. Now let. Me. Go,” she demanded through her teeth.

“Funny, I don’t see a ring on your finger. Only a cheap old watch.” Amanda laughed and ignored Quinn’s request.

Instead, Amanda dug her manicured nails further into Quinn’s arm and gave her a cold look that seemingly dared her to call out in pain and draw more attention to their confrontation. Amanda was indeed hurting her, but Quinn would not given her the satisfaction of having any of that pain register on her face. Amanda accepted the challenge and squeezed even harder.

“I guess the whole milf routine isn’t exactly paying off, huh?” Amanda taunted. “He’ll never marry you, he’s just playing house 'til I decide to take him back.”

“For your information, we live together now. Officially. His condo went on the market this morning.” Quinn growled through her teeth. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could stand. “Now, kindly go fuck yourself and stop being such a dramaqueen. You’re causing a scene at a child’s soccer game for fuck’s sake.”

More parents were filling the bleachers and Quinn could feel more eyes on them.

“Really? Good to know.”

Quinn had had enough and yanked her arm away and tried not to slap her across her pretty smug face. Amanda’s menacing laughter had a condescending quality that was starting to really piss her off. Quinn leaned towards her and tried to keep her voice steady and calm.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Quinn asked in a hushed voice as she covered her arm with her hand. Lucky Amanda hadn’t broken the skin, but her arm still stung like a sonofabitch. “You know what? I don’t care what your problem is. It’s your problem, not mine. Go for it. Laugh it up, you delusional bitch.”

“Don’t your kids have their own father? Where is he? What’s the deal?” Amanda asked through her giggles. “Do you keep them from their real dad? Or do you even know who he is?”

“Did it ever dawn on you that there’s a reason why you never met his niece.” Quinn continued softly and refused to talk about her children. At this point, she deserved an Oscar for keeping her cool. “Why are you doing this? Do you want Jensen to dump you all over again? Is that it? This is pathetic.”

Amanda flinched and finally stopped laughing at her. She just blinked at her in a stunned silence as she regrouped.

“You think that you have it all, don’t you?” Amanda sneered with a hint of sadness hidden behind her words.

Quinn had hit a nerve. Now it was Quinn’s turn to puff out a loud genuine laugh.

“Yeah. Yeah I kinda do have it all. I have two great kids and an amazing, buff, overgrown manchild that’s way more than just decent in bed. And ya know what, it feels fantastic. I love my life, you should try getting one of your own.”

“Jacob and I have history, I’m sorry that you feel so threatened by that. I pushed him to be more than just some jar head grunt. I saw his potential. We lived together, too, ya know. His mother loved me! She wanted us to get married. We shared a life. We shared things... real things... things that I’ve never shared with anyone else. Things that were realer than whatever you think you have with him.”

Quinn ignored the comment about Jensen’s mother, because she knew that the “things” Amanda was referring to was the abortion that she'd had. Quinn refused to throw her choice back in her face. Jensen had told her that in confidence and there were some lines that Quinn wouldn’t cross, no matter how pissed off she got.

If Amanda had wanted to have Jensen’s child, she'd had her chance but had decided not to. Things were getting too deep and real and Quinn was starting to feel sorry for the crazy bitch. But even if Amanda regretted her decision, Quinn wasn’t going to disappear and let her have a do over with Jensen.

“I get that. But those ‘things’ that you two shared, you shared almost two years ago.” Quinn explained as if she were speaking to a child. “Why would you want to go through that again? Didn’t you hurt him enough the first time?”

Quinn was quickly reaching the limit on her patience. Just the thought of Jensen’s ex causing him more damage was too much for her to handle at the moment. But she realized that nothing she said to that girl mattered. As much as Quinn wanted to protect him, Jensen would have to shut this down himself. She took a deep breath and tried to slow her pulse, she had already wasted too much time on this nonsense. The girls were almost done their warm up drills and the game would be starting soon.

“Look, from one girl to another.” Quinn continued and tried not to sound so hateful and pissed off. “Let it go... Or don’t. Just leave me the hell out of it. Take it up with Jensen. I promise, though, you’re not gunna like what he has to say. I don’t have time for whatever it is you think you’re doing.”

“It’s sad that you go around using your kids to snag a men. How many men have you had pretend to be their dad, huh? You’re the milf of the year. Don’t pretend that you’re better than me.”

Amanda was used to getting what she wanted and was hitting back using every low blow at her disposal. As annoyed as she was, it only made Quinn feel sorry for her.

“Everything okay here, ladies? The game is about to start.” Annie jogged up to them and cheerfully asked.

Only the look in Annie's eyes told Quinn that she had witnessed Amanda grabbing her arm from the field and she was there to back her up if need be. Jensen and Quinn didn’t call her Slugger for nothing. Annie stood between them and narrowed her eyes at Amanda and looked down her nose at her for an uncomfortable amount of time. Annie not so subtly let her know that she was on to her and that she needed to back off. Annie could be very intimidating when she wanted to be and Amanda looked away first and took her seat on the bench.

“Yup. Everything is fine.” Quinn mustered up all the excitement she could and smiled big. “Let go kick some Marigold butt!” Quinn shouted at the top of her lungs. “Let’s go PETUNIA’S!”

Quinn took Annie’s hand and spun them around to face the bleachers and raised their hands up in the air. Annie took her cue and followed suit and the two coaches successfully lead a loud happy cheer and had all the parents happily cheering for their team.

The Marigolds might be the Petunia’s rivals, but it appeared that Quinn had gained one of her own. And Coach Andrews intended to kick butt as well. 


	8. "Coach Andrews: 2nd Half"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen and the boys make it to the second half of the Petunia’s game as promised and Jensen quickly finds out what happened while he was gone.

The first half of the game was pretty exciting. The tension between Quinn and Amanda notwithstanding. The Marigolds, unfortunately, started off strong and were up by two until the Petunia’s scored twice in quick succession to tie it up. It was a pretty clean game considering that the average Marigold player was about twice the size of their Petunia counterpart.

Quinn tried to ignore the tummy ache that her confrontation with Amanda had caused and attempted to have a good time and cheered her heart out for her girls. She had a feeling that today was their day and that they could pull out a win. They were all working together and following all of Annie’s advice. It was great to see all of their hard work and hustle start to pay off.

After their showdown, Amanda had sat on the bench sulking and checking her phone. Quinn and Annie were both thankful that she stayed out of the way since her presence only served to annoy everyone around her.

Amanda hadn’t even notice that the girls had tied up the game and had acted irritated when they all celebrated and cheered. After watching a few of the girl’s faces go from happy and boisterous to dropping in disappointment, Quinn did her best to keep Amanda away from the girls in order to keep the team’s spirits up.

Quinn was grateful that whatever Amanda was doing on her phone was keeping her busy, but she had to admit that she felt every single dirty look that Amanda threw at her. Quinn wasn’t the biggest fan of confrontation and conflict, especially with another woman. She had never fought over a man in her life and didn’t want to start now. Besides, there was no need to, in her heart she knew that Jensen would always choose her and their life together.

Quinn tried to put everything past her, but it didn’t help that the ugly scratches Amanda had left on her arm served as a constant reminder of how nasty Jensen’s ex could be. But Quinn was stubborn and refused to draw attention to how painful they were.

Jensen was true to his word and sent Quinn pictures and videos of Jack practicing with the rest of his team. It was a little hard for her to tell which one of the kids out on the field was her’s, but everyone seemed to be having a great time. She wished that she could be at two places at once. With the way she was feeling, the only place she really wanted to be was with her family.

The pictures were helpful, but it was the selfies that Jensen took of himself and Cooper that really lifted her spirits and made her crack up. For as moody as Coop had been that morning, he was having a great time making matching goofy faces with his dad. Jensen always brought out the best in both of her kids.

 **Quinn:** Goofball and Goofball jr! LOL This is the cutest thing that I have ever seen!

 **Jensen:** You’re the cutest thing that I’ve ever seen.

 **Quinn:** Whatever. Why are you buttering me up all of a sudden? What are you after smoothtalker?

 **Jensen:** Head. Always head. You’d be after head too if you had a chick with such amazing oral skills.

 **Jensen:** ...or if you had a dick.

 **Jensen:** Which I’m very happy you DON’T have btw!

 **Jensen:** I’m gunna stop texting now before you realize what a dumbass you’re dating.

Quinn covered her mouth as she burst out laughing. She loved her big dumbass so much.

 **Quinn:** LOL Sorry dude, the cat's already out of the bag on that one. I’m already well aware of what a dumbass you are but I love you anyway.

 **Quinn:** Or maybe I love you because of it? Either way you’re soooo getting head baby! lol (btw your oral skills are too shabby either...just sayin’)

 **Jensen:** SCORE! lol Thanks for showing me your boobs this morning btw. They were stellar.

 **Quinn:** Shuddup! Lol

 **Jensen:** You shut up! … nevermind I like it better when you moan a little...kinda like you did this morning.

 **Quinn:** A little? I came so hard you had me fucking screaming this morning. I love the way you fuck me, just thinking about it is making me a little wet.

 **Jensen:** Dude don’t make me hard at a little league game. I really do love your boobs though. I’ve been thinking about them all morning. They’re my favorite boobs in all the whole wide world. Tell them that I miss them.

 **Jensen:** On more of a boner killer note. Our son would like to know what the score is Coach Andrews.

 **Quinn:** Tell Coop that the girls tied it up. They’re holding their own. I gotta get off the phone though, I’m supposed to be coaching not sexting my hot bf and telling him how badly I want his D. LOL ;)

 **Jensen:** You spelled cheerleading wrong, babe. And my D is yours and ready to go whenever you want it. Everything okay with she who shall not be named?

Quinn stared down at her phone for a moment and decided to downplayed the confrontation she had with his ex girlfriend. She really didn’t want to ruin their Saturday and knew that Jensen would have thrown the kids in the truck and rushed to be by her side in heartbeat if he knew how terrible Amanda had been.

 **Quinn:** Nothing I can’t handle, babe.

She wasn’t exactly lying. She could handle Amanda and fighting with her was stupid. Besides, Quinn had every intention of telling Jensen about his ex and her killer death grip later. But in the mean times, Quinn decided that distracting him with humor was the best course of action.

 **Quinn:** btw my boobs wanted me to tell you that they miss you too and they can’t wait to get out of this sports bra. How’s Jack doing? Have you declared him the MVP yet?

Instead of texting back, Quinn got another video of her son gleefully running around all the bases. She could hear Jack squealing and giggling and Cooper cheering his little brother on.

Quinn cradled her phone to her heart as she smiled and focused back on the soccer game in front of her. It didn’t take long for her to be shocked and outraged when the Marigolds started to play dirty and tripped one of their forwards. Annie beat Quinn to the punch and screamed at the ref until the proper foul was called.

Quinn did her part and double timed it out to the middle of the field to make sure the little girl, Ava, was okay. Luckily, Ava was fine and Quinn had her laughing and back in the game in no time.

Once that drama was over with, Quinn took a few pictures of the girls successfully defending the their net and started to wish that she had brought a sweater with her. It was getting cold and the long sleeves would help to hide the ugly scratches that Amanda left on her arm.

She checked her new beloved watch and realized that half time wouldn’t be called yet for another few minutes. She just hoped that the girls could hold off the Marigold’s offense until then. Quinn wasn’t a very competitive person, but with everything going on, she really wanted the team to win.

She was counting down the seconds in her head till halftime when Quinn suddenly felt a large heavy arm wrap around her shoulders from behind. Her heart stopped and she gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin. Before she screamed and fought off her would be attacker, she smelled her brother’s familiar cologne and smacked him for sneaking up on her and frightening her.

Clay laughed in her ear and squeezed her a little tighter. She was shaking like a leaf and he felt bad for scaring the hell out of her.

“Hey, kid.”

“What are you doing here, old man?” Quinn laughed and leaned her back onto her brother’s chest. “Oh shit! Are you here for Jensen? Are you guys shipping out?”

Clay felt his sister tense in his arms and kissed the back of her head.

“Not yet, kid. Our intel isn’t solid yet. But it’ll be soon, though. I’m just waiting for the call. Is this the way it’s always gunna be now?” he sighed. “Am I the bad guy that only shows up to take your boyfriend away?”

“ _Franklin._ ”

“Seriously, are you gunna freak out every time you see me because you’re dating someone under my command? There used to be a time when you were happy to see me, kiddo. Can’t I just hang out with you without you assuming I’m the bearer of bad news?”

“ _Yoooou can,_ ” Quinn happily sung out with a content sigh and hugged the arm Clay had practically headlocked around her neck. She was instantly warmer thanks to her big brother and held him there behind her to cut some of the wind. “New flash, old man. I’m not all that crazy about _you_ leaving either.”

Clay puffed out a laugh and Quinn gave him a quick rundown of what happened during the first half of the game, omitting any drama with Jensen’s ex-girlfriend.

They watched the girl’s final minutes of action before half time and Quinn was impressed that he seemed to be interested and watched the game over her shoulder. He even commented on the size of the average Marigold player and applauded a good call by the ref.

She loved that Clay wanted to spend some time with her, she couldn’t wait for the boys to show up so he could spend some time with them too. It was nice that he was in good spirits. It appeared that the drama that went down between him and Mallory that night in her kitchen wasn’t bothering him too much.

Clay rubbed her arms to keep her warm, but he could tell that she was still cold and insisted that she wear his black suit jacket. It was ridiculously too big for her and practically swallowed her up. But he loved it and he thought she looked like an adorable 8-year-old again with it reaching her knees.

Unfortunately, Clay’s good natured smile vanished when he caught the sour looks they were getting from a stunning blonde woman sitting on the bench.

“Is that her?” Clay nodded in Amanda’s direction. “She’s a looker, huh?”

“She’s just your type. She’s gorgeous and if you play your cards right I’m sure she’ll be the second woman to leave a bomb in your car.” Quinn playfully warned.

“Thanks for the heads up. But I’m a one woman guy. If anyone is going to be leavin bombs in my car, it’ll be Mallory.”

“Damn straight, old man. And I’ll be the one bailing her outta jail.” Quinn warned.

Quinn made a mental note to text Mallory after the game and set up a coffee date. She was still worried about her friend but found it encouraging that Clay was speaking so fondly of her. Well...fondly for Clay that was.

“So, if you know all about Jensen’s ex showing up then this isn’t just a friendly brother sister visit, is it?”

“Busted. Nothing gets by you, kid.” Clay smirked with pride. “Jensen filled me in and sent me down here to check up on you. But, _heeey!_...” He laughed and shook her playfully as he hugged her from behind with both arms. “I like hearing how excited you are about all of this soccer stuff. You’re getting in pretty tight with his family.”

“You make it sound like I’m on an undercover mission and trying to ingratiate myself with the enemy.” Quinn teased.

“Naw. It’s a good thing. I just want you to be happy. You always wanted a big family and now you’re getting one.”

“You’ll always be my family, don’t get jealous.” she teased. “Say, since when does Jensen send you anywhere? Isn’t it usually the other way around?”

“It is. But I’m evolving.”

“Sure.” She puffed out a disbelieving laugh and playfully rolled her eyes.

“Whatever, punk. I just called him because I needed him to look into some classified stuff for me. But he’s an oversharer. He let it slip that he was worried about you here by yourself and I just so happened to be in the neighbourhood. You know that guy can’t keep his mouth shut, it was easier to volunteer to help out than to listen to him run his mouth.”

“Please don’t talk about his mouth, okay.” Quinn groaned remembering Amanda’s obnoxious comments from earlier.

“Okay?” Clay chuckled and was completely confused. “I like that he worries about you, though.”

“That makes one of us…”

Quinn could hear chants of _“Uncle Clay, Uncle Clay!”_ before she actually saw either of her kids approaching. Clay let go of his sister and turned around just in time to catch Cooper in his arms as he took a running leap to hug his uncle.

“Good reflexes.” Quinn praised as Clay threw his nephew up in the air and ruffled his long shaggy blonde hair.

“Not bad for an old man, huh?” Clay teased as he pretended to box with his nephew and teach him a few moves.

Quinn looked for Jensen and found him walking through the field with Jackson up on his shoulders. In his hands, he carried a small bouquet of pink and yellow gerbera daisies and the hoodie that she had accidentally left in his truck.

Quinn was so happy to see her three boys that she didn’t notice that Amanda had finally taken her nose out of her phone and was standing right behind her waiting for Jensen as well. Halftime had finally been called and it would be nice if she stopped lurking and actually did something to help out with the team.

“Aww, it looks like you’re getting some cheap, 7-11 flowers.”

“My favorite!” Quinn beamed without missing a beat. “Oh, are you still here? What was your name again?”

Amanda’s perfectly pouty lips made a thin line and she stuck her nose in the air and pretended to be more focused on the game than Quinn’s witty insults. When she realized that it was halftime and no one was playing, she crossed her arms and stalked Jensen like a hunter stalks it’s prey.

Clay witnessed their exchange and had enough good sense not to get involve between the two women. Instead, he focused his attention on play fighting with Cooper.

Even though Clay had every confidence that Quinn had things under control, he gave Amanda a cold side eye when she glanced over at him and started checking him out. He continued to narrow his eyes at her until she sulked away and sat back on the bench.

He couldn’t help it, he tried to stay out of it, but no one messed with his kid sister right in front of him and got away with it. Clay had never quite appreciated how big of a bullet Jensen had dodged when he dumped his ex. That woman was a piece of work. She was gorgeous, but there was something about her that made his skin crawl.

He smirked to himself, though, and was proud of Quinn and how she was handling the blonde. Quinn was more focused on Jensen and Jackson in their matching baseball jerseys than giving Amanda anymore time or attention. He loved it when her tougher Clay side shone through.

“There’s orange slices in the cooler.” Quinn called out to Annie.

“I got it!” Annie called back and gave her a thumbs up.

Annie waved to her brother and picked up the cooler and pushed it into Amanda's chest and forced her to help out.

Quinn took off Clay’s suit jacket and opened it up for Cooper to try on. If it was big on Quinn, it was enormous on Coop. Clay took out his phone and took a picture of his nephew before reclaiming his jacket. Quinn couldn’t stop smiling as she jogged over to Jensen and Jackson.

“Hey, pretty lady. Looks like the game is still all tied up!” Jensen happily called out as he set Jackson down on his feet.

The happy five-year-old made a beeline straight to his mom and Jensen picked up the pace and tried to keep up behind him. Jensen had to admit that the boy’s “mama boy” side of them was the best; he hoped that they never fully grew out of it.

“It sure is! Alyssa and the girls are really hustling out there.” Quinn scooped up her son and kissed the side of his head.

“She is a Jensen afterall.” he quipped and waved wildly at his niece and pointed at her with a mock serious face until she giggled pointed back at him.

“How was t-ball, little love.” Jack looked so cute in his little baseball uniform and Quinn couldn't help but squeeze him close and pepper kisses all over his rosy cheeks.

“I was GREAT!” Jack happily proclaimed. “My coaches are really cool and Daddy cheered _sooooo_ loud! I could hear him in the outfield!”

Quinn smiled at her son and then made sure to roll her eyes at Jensen. She knew he would go overboard with the cheering, but she loved him for it. He just smiled his bright cheeky smile and didn’t look sorry at all.

Jensen wrapped his arm around her and Jack and they made their way to the benches. Jack started to giggle at his silly uncle still boxing with Cooper where Quinn had left them.

“Do you guys wanna stay here and help me and Aunt Annie coach or do you wanna sit in the stands like usual?”

“I wanna stay with you, mommy.” Jack answered as he wrapped his arms around Quinn’s neck. “I misseded you.”

“You missed her.” Jensen gently corrected and smoothed Jack’s hair. “He did so good, babe. You woulda been so proud of him.” Jensen boasted with love in his eyes.

Jensen leaned over and placed a soft lingering kiss on Quinn’s temple, but was met with protests from the five-year-old sitting on her hip.

“No I kiss mommy!” Jack insisted and kissed his mother on the tip of her nose.

“He really did great, mom.” Cooper confirmed from the grip of his uncle’s pretend sleeper hold. “Can I stay with Uncle Clay while you coach?”

Quinn gave her brother a pointed look and Clay stood up straighter and pretended to be simply hugging Cooper in an attempt to play off the fact that he was caught horsing around like a child. Something that he would reprimand Jensen for in a heartbeat.

“Of course, sweetheart.” Quinn answered as Jack wrapped his arms around her neck. “Try not to hurt your Uncle, okay. I wouldn’t want him breaking a hip.”

“Smartass.” Clay smirked at his kid sister and shook his head. “Respect your elders, Coop.”

Clay nodded to Jensen and took Cooper up into the bleachers.

Quinn watched her brother reach for his wallet and they made their way up the stairs. She was positive that she was going to get handed back a very sugar filled kid by the time Clay was done spoiling his nephew at the concession stands.

When Jackson saw his aunt, he wiggled out of Quinn’s arms and made his way over to Annie. She gave him a hug and showed him the secret plays that the girls had learned that they hoped to pull off during the second half of the game.

Jensen and Quinn swelled with pride as they watched Alyssa lite up as she high fived her little cousin and shared her oranges with him. Watching them all interact as family was so cool.

“I’m gunna go sit with Clay and Coop.” Jensen informed Quinn and kissed her temple again. “Maybe you guys won't hear all of my obnoxious cheering from all the way up there, huh?”

“Wouldn’t count on it, babe.” she teased and poked his side. “Cheer away, we need all the help we can get. It’s been such a tight game.”

“By the way. These _were_ for you, but now they’re for Alyssa.” Jensen chuckled as he motioned to the brightly coloured gerbera daisies that he was carrying. “I know you said that you were okay, but after the morning we had, I wanted to do something nice for ya, but Coop insisted that Alyssa needed them more.”

“Ah well, easy come easy go. It’s the thought that counts.” she giggled.

“Coop was slick and covered all his bases. He said that Alyssa needed them for either for _beating_ the Marigolds or for _losing_ to the Marigolds.”

“Man, I love that kid. You can’t fault his logic, though. He’s ladies man, just like his papa.”

“Ha! Whatever, I dunno about that.” Jensen blushed as she kissed his cheek. “Here’s your consolation prize pretty lady. This might fit a little better than the Colonel's jacket.” Motioning to her sweater that he was carrying.

“True. Thanks for sending Clay, by the way.”

“You weren’t mad?”

“Nope. I love hanging out with him when he’s in a good mood. It’s like spotting a unicorn or something, it’s nice. I’m going to take Mallory out for coffee or something this week to reconnect. I’ll see if she’s in as good a mood as he is.”

“Say, are you sure you’re okay? Did anything happen during the first half? It’s not like Amanda to just lay low and not try and cause trouble.” Jensen’s smile slowly faded when he saw her wrist as she struggled to get into her Petunia’s hoodie. “Dude, what the fuck clawed up your arm?”

“Amanda was just being Amanda and not laying low. I’m over it, it’s okay.”

“She did this to you?” Jensen took her arm and pushed the sleeve of her hoodie up to examined her arm more closely. “Well I’m not over it and it’s definitely not fucking okay.”

He quickly scanned the Petunia’s bench and saw his ex half heartedly handing out more orange slices to the girls on the team. In response, his ex-girlfriend smiled at him and gave him a cute little wave, but Jensen was disgusted with her and shook his head.

“Did you or Annie give her a good old fashioned beat down?” he asked, still staring daggers into his ex-girlfriend.

“No we didn’t, as fun as that would have been.” Quinn confessed. “It’s fine, really. Go watch the rest of the game and try to steal some of the candy that Clay is gunna feed Coop. I just know he’s gunna go over board and I don’t want him to get sick. Extra points if you can steal me some Twizzlers.”

Jensen was livid and barely heard what Quinn had said. He tried to calm down and remind himself that they were just superficial scratches, but he still felt responsible. He knew something bad was going to happen.

He shouldn’t have been surprised that Amanda got physical with Quinn. He had been the target of his ex-girlfriend’s rage before and knew how far she took things. He had dodged countless flying dishes that she had hurled at him and endured many unwarranted shoves and slaps during their brief relationship. Abuse was commonplace for Amanda, it was practically foreplay for her.

It killed him to realize that there had been a time when he had put up with that kind of behaviour. He was ashamed now, but at the time he had figured that Amanda was hot and her abuse had just been the cost of dating someone like her. But he was a different person now and had since realized just how wrong he had been. He wished that he had never laid eyes on his ex.

Looking at Quinn made him recognize, yet again, how lucky he was to have met her. Living in a warzone, in one form or another, was something that he had been used to ever since he could remember. But Quinn had shown him that life didn’t have to be that way and that he deserved to be treated with kindness and respect.

He ran his thumb over Quinn’s scratches and brought her wrist to his lips. She gave him a sad smile and took her arm away. She pulled her sleeve down to hide and cover the marks, but he still knew they were there. He loved Quinn so much that, at times, his desire to protect her was overwhelming. He should have trusted his gut and stayed with her.

Jensen had sworn so many times that he was never going to let anyone hurt Quinn again after what she had gone through with her ex-husband and, more recently, with Wade Travis. He never really took into consideration what he would do it another woman hurt her.

Jensen’s hands were essentially tied and all of his revenge fantasies would have to be thrown out the window, even though the Kill Bill sirens were still playing in his head.

He let out a frustrated sigh and Quinn took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m so sorry, Quinn. This is so fucking outrageous. I never should have left. I really am a dumbass.”

“Stop that. Don’t be sorry.” Quinn smiled and squeezed his hand again. “Duke and Daisy have scratched me up a lot worse than this and you still love their furry little guts.”

“That’s up for debate…” he playfully scoffed and kissed her forehead. He loved those two little dogs, but liked to tease her otherwise. “At least they’re housebroken and have had their rabies vaccinations, that’s more than I can say for my crazy ex-girlf-”

 _“ANDREWS?”_ Amanda suddenly blurted out as she strolled over to them. “Oh come on! She’s seriously that much of a ball buster? She has you babysitting her kids for her and now you’re gunna take her name? Figures, when are you going to learn to stand up for yourself?”

“Hi, Amanda. Nice to see, you as usual,” Jensen sarcastically spat out through his teeth. “What are you doing here? Did someone drop a house on your sister?”

Amanda had obviously noticed the matching team jersey that Jensen had personalized to mark Jackson’s first t-ball team. Of course Amanda would have found a way to try and emasculate him somehow. Jensen tried to keep his cool, but it being around her was making him physically sick.

“What the fuck are you even doing here?” Jensen demanded. “But more importantly, how can I get you to fuck the hell off?”

“Dinner?” Amanda slyly teased. “Or maybe just dessert?” she added with a flirtatious wink.

“Never gunna happen.” Jensen’s stance changed and he seemed taller for some reason. Quinn squeezed his hand again, only this time it wasn’t to comfort him, but to remind him to calm down. He was playing right into her hands and reacting to her bullshit.

“I was just joking...well kinda. I’m just worried about you, Jacob.” Amanda’s tone changed on a dime and she started to lay on the charm. “I really think that you’re in over your head. Can we talk?

“I’ve said everything that I ever want to say to you.” Jensen crossed his arms and stood firm. Quinn was proud of him, but also hoped that matters didn’t devolve into a huge scene since there were kids everywhere.

Instead of accepting defeat and leaving, Amanda gazed up at him threw her long eyelashes and bite her bottom lip.

If Quinn didn’t know any better, she’d think that Jensen’s anger and rejection was turning Amanda on. Quinn was almost embarrassed for her.

Jensen gulped and noticed Amanda’s reaction, too. He looked to Quinn with a mixture of disgust, horror and confusion and found that Quinn’s expression matched his own. It was if they were both saying “what the fuck?” telepathically to each other as they watch Amanda practically purr like a cat in heat.

“Maybe you have changed. I like this new Jacob.” Amanda declared as she looked him up and down in approval.

“Jake.” Jensen snapped and corrected her. “Or Jensen... or how about neither, okay. Look, I might have given you the impression that you could slap me around, but that doesn’t apply to my family. Don’t come near us again, okay.”

 _“‘My family.’”_ Amanda mocked and did her best impression of him. “You’re standing up for yourself.” she pointed out. “I like it. I really like it.”

Jensen nervously rubbed the back of his neck and instinctively looked around for an escape. Amanda was not getting the hint and seemed to enjoy the challenge.

“Look...” Jensen took a deep breath and decided to change his tactic and tried to reason with her a little more civilly. Swallowing his rage and frustration was hard and was he wasn’t convinced that he could sound as conciliatory as he wanted to. But Quinn was squeezing the fuck out of his hand and he wanted this to be over as much as she did. “I don’t know what you’re deal is, but we aren’t friends.”

“Oh baby, we were never friends.” Amanda purred and ran her hands up his chest. “We were so much more than that, weren’t we?”

“Dude.” Jensen pried her hands off of him and stood up straighter. Now was as good a time as any to grow some balls, he told himself. Fuck conciliatory, this bitch thought she could hurt Quinn and get away with it.

“Do you see this woman standing right here?” He pointed to Quinn who was beside him biting her tongue and twitching with rage.

“You’re not gunna touch her again, do you understand?” he ordered forcefully. “Are you listening to me? You’re going to leave us alone. You’re not going to even fucking _think_ about her again!”

“It’s you that I think about, Jacob.” Amanda confessed and tried to touch him again, but he pulled away in revolution. “Can we please just go somewhere to talk? I need to talk to you about something important. In private.” She sneered at Quinn.

Quinn wasn’t sure how much more of this Jensen could stand. She was about to snap, too, for that matter, but before she could open her mouth to tell Jensen to tune out the crazy bitch and to just go and sit with Clay, she saw little Jackson running up to them out of the corner of her eye.

“Daddy,” Jackson stood beside his stepdad and pulled insistently on Jensen’s arm. “Daddy, Daddy don’t be mad. Bullies are just sad inside. That’s what mommy says. Right, mommy?”

Jensen looked down into Jack’s innocent blue eyes while Quinn ran her fingers through her son’s hair. Jackson was so earnest and kind, his big blue eyes were filled with concern for his Dad.

“I need to tell you a secret, Daddy.”

All of the air slowly left Jensen’s lungs and he dropped to his knees to give Jack his undivided attention.

“Bullies hurt people to try make them they feel bad like they do.” Jackson whispered loudly into Jensen’s ear. “Don’t let that lady make you feel bad inside, too. But we don’t call bullies bullies because it’s name calling. Do you think she heard me?”

Jensen lied and shook his head no. Everyone could hear him and bless his little heart. Besides, Jack had already unknowingly called her a bully when he ran up to them. Quinn couldn’t help but smile at his cuteness and kissed the top of his head.

Jack wanted so badly defuse the situation that he must have overheard and waited eagerly for his dad to smile at him and feel better.

Jensen felt like shit and wondered how loudly he had been yelling at Amanda. He didn’t want to expose his kids to any of that kind of bullshit. That wasn’t the example that he wanted to set for his stepkids. Yelling at women had been his father’s way, not Jensen’s.

“You’re so right, buddy.” Jensen smiled and put Jack at ease. “Your mom’s pretty smart, huh?”

“Uh huh.” Jack nodded his and held his dad’s face between his little hands. “You are, too, daddy. So so _sooooo_ smart! Don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad, little dude. Not anymore.” Jensen gave him a fist pound and hoped that he hadn’t freaked him out too badly. “Love you.”

“Love you, too. Can we get frozen yogurt after the game?”

“We’ll see, buddy.”

“Aunt Annie needs your help, little love.” Quinn soothed. “The second half about to start. Maybe she’ll let you blow the whistle?”

Jensen stood up and kissed the top of Jack’s head before he happily ran off to the Petunia’s bench like nothing had happened.

“Cute kid you got there.” Amanda insincerely taunted. “Some friendly advice, maybe you should cut their hair sometime, huh? For a second there I thought that that blonde one of your’s was a girl.”

“Are you okay, baby?” Quinn’s only concern was for Jensen and she ignored Amanda insufferable smugness.

Jensen’s evil ex didn’t matter to her at all. Quinn rubbed his arm and waited for him to snap out of it. He instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

“He’s fine, Jake.” Quinn knew exactly what he was thinking and didn’t want him to be too hard on himself. “He’s a sweet kid. He was just worried about you.” Quinn softly explained

“I know. But I don’t want him to worry about me. He’s just a little kid.”

“He cares, it’s a good thing. We can’t shelter him from the whole world. People fight sometimes. It’s good for him to see us make mistakes and then try to do better.”

“Oh for fuck sakes!” Amanda interrupted. “This is your life now? Brats and little league? This isn’t you, Jacob. You’re no one’s father. What happened to hacking into computer systems and adrenaline and guns and-”

“Haven’t you done enough?” Jensen spoke on top of her. “You’re terrorizing little kids now?”

“Hey it was you that he was afraid of _‘daddy’_ not me.” Amanda bitterly mocked.

“My son is not afraid of his father!” Quinn had finally snapped. There was no way that she could let her get away with implying that one of Jensen's darkest fears was indeed a reality.“Watch your fucking mouth, bitch.”

“Oh I’d love for you to make me.” Amanda asserted and took a step towards Quinn.

“Just fucking try me. We’ll see how perfectly symmetrical your face is once I’m done with you.”

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Jensen stood tall between the two woman when Quinn accepted Amanda’s challenge. It would be a cold day in hell before he let Amanda anywhere near Quinn.

“I love a cat fight as much as the next guy, but I meant what I said. Even though my money is on her, you’re fucking nuts is you think I’m gunna let you touch my wi-,” Jensen caught himself before he called Quinn is wife.

He’d never seen Quinn lose her cool like that, even when faced with her crazy ex-mother-in-law or her ex-husband. For a second there Quinn sounded just as intimidating as Clay, if not more so. Jensen was almost disturbed at how turned on it made him.

“You’re not gunna touch a hair on Quinn’s pretty little head.” Jensen had learned his lesson and was trying to keep his voice down but was still pissed off and trying to show Amanda that he meant business. “Do you hear me? What is it going to take for you to back off, huh? Do I have to call the cops and get a restraining order? Cause I will. I have no problem with that. Or I could just let Quinn fuck up your nose job.”

Amanda gasped and covered her nose with both hands. Jensen had never told Quinn about his ex’s plastic surgery, but it didn’t surprise her in the slightest and she tried not to laugh.  
  
“Asshole! Look, I told you. We have some things to discuss.” Amanda hissed. “After that, I’ll leave you to your pretend kids and your mousey little milf.”

Jensen decided to get it over with and agreed to her demands. He squeezed Quinn’s shoulder and took a deep breath. She still looked so pissed off. Under different circumstances, Jensen would have found her completely irresistible, but this time her sexy anger made him sad.

He knew exactly what was going on in her head. She loved coaching his nieces team every weekend and going toe to toe with Amanda wasn’t setting a good example for them. Little did his little badass know, Jensen loved that his niece considered Quinn one of her role models and was beyond honoured that she would stand up for him like that.

He was about to kiss her goodbye, but Amanda was impatient and yanked him away by his arm.

Quinn’s head was spinning as she turned around and halfhearted started to watch the second half game.

 _"'Mousey little Milf”_ Quinn petchantly mumbled to herself. She regretted not slapping the shit out of Amanda when she'd had the chance, she’d show her mousey.

Quinn tried to cheer for her team, but her voice sounded gravelly and hoarse. But little Jack was more than making up for her and was cheering his heart out. Jack was more than fine and his enthusiasm was infectious. He was surely Jensen’s son through and through.

After a few minutes, Annie came over and wrapped her arm around her friend and asked her if she was okay.

“I’m good. Did the girls see any of that?”

“Nope, they’re much too focused on breaking this damn tie.” Annie explained. “Where’s Jake?”  
  
“He’s telling her to take a hike. Distract me. Tell me something happy.”

Annie puffed out a laugh and quickly left to switch out the appropriate players and gave a few words of encouragement to few girls that were really hustling out there and told them to rest up. Those Marigold’s meant business and had almost made it past their defence a few minutes in.

“Well, John and I are going on a little holiday together. The three of us leave tomorrow.”

“Really!” Quinn squealed.

Annie’s news did the trick and Quinn was suddenly so excited for her. Annie and John had been having problems for months and it was nice to hear that maybe there was so hope for them to patch things up. Annie’s husband was a good guy, he just seemed to be more dedicated to his job than his family at times.

“Does that mean that things are getting better between you two?”

“Maybe. That’s kinda the plan. It’s nothing big, just a little trip to the Hamptons. We rented a small house there for the week. He even promised to leave his cellphone at home. But I’m sure as hell taking mine!” she laughed.

“That’s awesome. You guys are going to have a great time! My agent Charlie has a house there on the water that he said I could use. I’ve been meaning to take him up on his offer, but the timing has never been right. Something always seems to get in the way. Now Jensen is shipping out again any day now...things just get so busy, you know?”

“Oh sweetie, make time. The boys aren’t getting any younger and the Hamptons is gorgeous! Plus, we’re not staying anywhere near the water, I’d snatch up a waterfront place in a heartbeat!” Annie laughed and continued to cheer on the girls.

“I wanna see Uncle Charlie's house.” Jack eagerly perked his ears up like a puppy. “And baby Zoe too!”

“One day, sweetheart.” Quinn smiled down at him and played with his dark hair.

A family trip would be amazing, but had always seemed so unattainable. Some of Quinn’s fondest memories with her parents had taken place at a cottage that her family would rent every summer before they'd passed away. She had been eleven when they'd died in a car accident so those memories had always been special and sacred to her.

The thought of sharing a similar family tradition with her own family made her feel closer to them somehow. Annie was right, they should make time. Just planning it in her head gave Quinn a warm hopeful feeling.

Quinn was grateful for the distraction because the longer Jensen spoke to his ex-girlfriend the more her stomach hurt. She was so worried about him and didn’t want Amanda to play any her vicious games and hurt him again.

It was odd how Quinn could trust him (and the rest of the team) to go up against any dangerous villain on a mission, but a tall blonde supermodel with sharp manicured nails was what had her worried about her man’s well being.

“Hey, wanna help me coach, little man?” Annie asked Jackson when she saw Jensen walking back towards them. Annie had quickly assessed the situation and judging by the look on her brother’s face she figured that the two of them needed to talk.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Jensen came up to Quinn and nodded to his sister before she took off with her new five-year-old assistant coach.

“You okay?” Quinn asked and rubbed Jensen’s arm. She couldn’t quite read the look on his face.

“Are you okay? Did you get into any fist fights when I was gone?”

“No, but if that huge forward for the Marigold’s doesn’t keep her elbows down I might start swinging.” Quinn quipped. “Seriously though, are you okay?”

“She wanted half my condo.” Jensen breathless explained. He looked so confused as if he was still trying to sort out the whirlwind of demands from his ex.

“Half? I thought that she just wanted to jump your bones.”

“Dude, she tried that first. But she switched gears and went for my wallet when I told her I’d rather dip my dick into sulfuric acid.” Quinn puffed out a laugh but shh’ed him and hoped that none of the girls had overheard him.

“I don’t get it. I never saw her name anywhere on your paperwork. Did she ever pay the mortgage or help with the down payment?” Quinn couldn’t make sense of Amanda’s epic sense of entitlement.  
  
“Course not. She wasn’t even working for two of the months that we lived together. I was her free ride. She didn’t pay for anything. But she claims that I would never have made that kind of investment in the first place if it wasn’t for her.”

That much was true. From everything that Jensen had already told her Quinn knew that Amanda had indeed twisted his arm into buying his condo even though it was barely within his financial means.

Jensen looked out onto the field and cheered for his niece and clapped his hands. The game was still tied and both teams were feeling the pressure. Alyssa gave him a wave and Jensen yelled out, “That’s my girl! Number 21! MVP!”

“I’m scared to ask, but did she take no for an answer? I doubt she has a leg to stand on but I can call my lawyer and find out for sure…”

“Naw, that okay.” Jensen puffed out a small laugh, but kept watching the game. “She backed down. You shoulda seen the look on her face. She totally expected to wiggle her boobs at me and watch me cave in. She gave it her best try though, she actually offered to blow me in the parking lot for old times sake. When that didn’t work she demanded that we lower our asking price so that she could afford to buy it herself.”

“Noooo. She wants us to be neighbours?” Quinn’s eyes went wide in horror. “She’s crazy!”

“I love that you’re mad at that and not the boob wiggling or trying to blow me in the parking lot!” Jensen laughed and wrapped his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. She was the coolest chick he’d ever known, he loved the way her mind worked.

“Well, another woman wiggling her boobs at you doesn’t give me warm fuzzy feelings, but I have every reason to trust you, my love. Afterall my boobs are your favorite in the whole wide world, remember?” she reminded him with a wink.

“That they are, QBall.” Jensen confirmed and pretend to look down her hoodie until she gave his chest a playful smack.

“I can’t believe that she wants to buy your condo. I couldn’t imagine running into her in the hallway everyday.”

“I told you. She had a huge hard on for our building. But it’s never gunna happen. Trust me. If we get an offer I’ll be all over it, I’ll know everything about our new neighbours before I sign a damn thing. I’m not gunna sell to just anyone, especially her.”

Quinn wasn’t sure how legal that sounded, but she let it slide.

“Where is she?”

“She took off. But I don’t get it. How did she even know that I was selling my condo in the first place? She had the listing on her phone and everything.”

“So _that’s_ what she was doing on her phone! Well, your dumbass girlfriend let it slip.” Quinn groaned. “I’m sorry. There was really no reason for me to say anything. She just got under my skin, it was my way of trying to shut her down and _claim my man_.” She giggled.

“Ah well, consider my ass happily claimed.” Jensen laughed. “Besides, my dumbass girlfriend is pretty hot and her heart is always in the right place, so I think I can forgive her this time.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’ve gone a few rounds with Roque.”

“She’s just so fucking twisted and cruel.” he sighed. “She brought up the abortion and talked about how old the kid would be now...if she didn't...”

Jensen took a moment to try and swallow down the hard lump forming in his throat so he could continue.

“She’s pissed off that I’m a stepdad now after seeing me with Jack. She acted like I played her back then and hid all of my awesome parenting skills from her. She seriously just tried to guilt trip me into thinking that she regretted her decision and that if I had just been ‘better’ back then we’d have a kid right now. She said that she had no idea that I could look after myself, let alone her and a baby. ”

“Oh, Jake. I’m so sorry.” Quinn took his hand and linked their fingers together. “She never really knew you. I’ve told you before, you aren’t responsible for her choice. She’s being so unfair, you didn’t even know that she was pregnant.”

“I know. It was you that helped me understand that.” He squeezed Quinn’s hand and brought their linked fingers up to his lips and kissed her hand. “I would have raised that kid, but I gotta admit, I’m kinda glad that I’m not tied to her for the rest of my life. Does that make me a shitty person?”

“Of course not. You would have been a great dad. She made the choice that was right for her at the time. Blaming you now is just manipulation.”

“You’re right, I could tell that she was just trying to score some quick easy cash. But it still hurt like a sonofabitch. Invoking the memory of kid that we never had was a new fucking low. ”

Quinn solemnly nodded in agreement and rested her on his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. Then and now.”

Jensen continued to watch the game but was lost in his thoughts. Quinn rubbed his back and regretted that she had let Amanda pull him aside in the first place, she knew that woman was poison.

“I used to twist myself inside out trying to make her happy, I was such a fucking pussy back then.” Jensen said more to himself as he watched the game. “Why did I put myself through that shit?”

“Because I’m sure you had all kinds of love inside you and wanted to give it to someone. Don’t tell anyone, but you’re actually a really sweet teddy bear of a guy. Don’t beat yourself up, there isn’t anyone on this planet that could make that woman truly happy.”

“You’re so corny, QBall.” Jensen laughed. “Maybe you’re right though… I was probably looking for something back then, but after her I ignored it for awhile. Then you fell right into my lap when I least expected it.”

“I found you, too. You make me happy, Jake. Every. Single. Day. You don’t have to twist yourself inside out. Just you being your sweet dorky self makes me so fucking happy, baby. Seeing how much you love the boys means so much to me. You have no idea.” Quinn meant every word and tried not to cry.

“Loving you and the boys is the easiest thing ever.” he shyly smiled. “But you were a happy person to start with, I can’t really take the credit for that.”

“Bullshit, of course you can. I love you and you make my life so much better. Feel free to take mad credit for being the reason why I smile everyday, Jake.”

“I love making you happy, QBall. Maybe I am a big teddy bear, huh?”

Jensen never made it up to the bleachers to sit with Cooper and Clay. Instead, he caught the rest of the tense second half of the game with his arm wrapped around his favourite soccer coach.

But he almost knocked over said soccer coach celebrating when Alyssa suddenly, out of nowhere, made the assist that won the game for the Petunias with two minutes to spare.

While Jensen was freaking out, Quinn quickly recovered and screamed in excitement and threw her fists up in the air. Jensen gave her a crushing hug while he bounced up and down. The two of them could not hold in their enthusiasm, so they didn’t even attempt to hide how happy they were.

It felt so cathartic to jump up and down and yell after the day that they had. It released so much tension and they couldn’t stop smiling at each other. You’d think that the girls had won the playoffs based on the way that Jensen and Quinn reacted.

Quinn ran over to Annie and practically lifted her up in the air as the ref blew her whistle and called the game.

Little Jackson followed suit and started doing some kind of silly victory dance that involved a lot of hip thrusts and throwing his little fists up in the air. Some of the girls on the bench mimicked him and it looked like they had started their own dance routine.

Once Alyssa was done congratulating her friends, she ran over to Jensen and he scooped his niece up into his arms and gave her the flowers that he had brought for her.

Quinn and Annie listened to him tell her how awesome she was and boast that with moves like her’s she was going to make it to the Olympics one day.

Jensen was so proud of her and it was obvious to anyone watching them how much he loved his niece and how lucky she was to have him in her life. It was beautiful to watch and Quinn couldn’t take her eyes off the two of them.

She brushed away her happy tears and couldn’t help but wonder what their life would look like if her and Jensen had a daughter of their own one day. He was such a great stepdad to Cooper and Jackson, but seeing him with a little girl felt so right. Alyssa was already the best cousin to the boys, she would lose her mind if she had a cute little baby to coo over as well.

Expanding their family and giving Jensen a baby didn’t scare Quinn in the slightest, marriage on the other hand was a different matter. She was well aware of the how silly that seemed. To most people, having a child with someone would be a lot scarier than a wedding, but Quinn couldn’t help how she was wired.

She didn’t have time to enjoy her little fantasy or sort through what she was feeling because Clay had made his way down from the bleachers with Cooper and was pulling Jensen aside to talk with him. Jensen set his niece free and the hairs on the back of Quinn’s neck started to stand up.

Clay was no longer in happy go lucky uncle mode. Her brother had turned back into the serious and intimidating Colonel. Quinn knew what was happening before Jensen did and her heart sank with disappointment. Clay couldn’t look her in the eye and that could mean only one thing. The team must have all of the intel that they needed and were shipping out on their newest mission.

Quinn and Annie watched them talk from afar and when Jensen nodded seriously to Clay and squared his shoulders, all of Quinn’s suspicions were confirmed. She watched Jensen instinctually stand tall at attention like the soldier that he was while Clay gave him his orders.

Annie took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She knew it, too, Jensen was leaving her again.

 


	9. "Waterfall"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen and Quinn spend a few hours alone together before the team leaves on their mission.

  
Quinn was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher when she heard, what she hoped was, Jensen’s keys opening their front door. After Alyssa’s soccer game Jensen and the rest of the team had to go over their orders and strategically plan for their new mission. Jensen grabbed a ride with Clay and Quinn, unfortunately, drove the boys home in his truck without him.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard her boyfriend’s deep happy voice in the living room chastising the dogs for jumping on him and the boys chanting his name as they gleefully rushed to greet their dad.

Saying goodbye to Jensen at the soccer field in front of all of the girls felt rushed and uncomfortable. Quinn didn’t kiss him nearly long enough, she was so happy that she had a chance at a do over.

“Hey, pretty lady! Did I miss dinner? The house smells amazing, by the way! _Hot damn!_ ”

“You’re here!” Quinn beamed. “Sorry, we didn’t know that we’d get to see you again before you left. We already ate. How long are you here for?”

Jensen checked his watch as he balanced Jackson on his hip and tried to shake the bouncing dogs off his leg.

“Ummm. You guys got me for about 5 1/2 hours.”

“Sweet!” Quinn couldn’t wait to get the boys to bed and get her hands on her man. Jensen could read her mind and gave her a sly wink.

“Did you save me any lasagna? I’m starving.”

“Of course, babe. I’ll heat some up. It’s the banana bread in the oven that you’re smelling, it’ll ready in a few. Can’t send my man off to the field on an empty stomach, can I?”

“You mom’s the best you know that, Jack.” Jensen beamed as he discretely checked out Quinn’s ass as she doubled back into the kitchen. He hoped that she was okay with him leaving them again. She was taking like a champ, but he hated the idea of hurting her.

“ _Meh._ She’s okay.” Jack shrugged and mischievously looked over to see if his dad had caught onto his little sarcastic joke.

Jensen had indeed caught on to his kid’s little jab and had nearly dropped him when he clutched his chest and doubled over laughing.

“You take after you mom, ya little smart-a ...nevermind. You gunna be good while your pops is away?”

Jensen’s heart swelled with pride when Jackson nodded his head and cutely crossed his heart and pink swore that he would try his best.

\---------------------------

Quinn watched Jensen wolf down his dinner on the couch with his two little man cubs sitting on either side of him and tried her best not to let any of her anxiety register on her face. Tonight was just like any other night, she lied to herself.

Jensen didn’t need to worry about her. If she was going to cry, she could wait until he left.

In the meantime, she was enjoying hearing the boys tell their dad how cool they thought he was and debate over which one of them was going to grow up to be the most like him one day.

Cooper and Jackson were both so young, they were under the impression that their stepdad was going to fight bad guys like the heroes did in the movies.

Jensen let them know that that were both the cooliest just the way they were and that he wanted them to grow up to be bigger and more awesome versions of who they already were.

It was neat to witness Jensen both revel in their praise and try to stay humble and truthful at the same time. He didn’t want to mislead them, but she could tell that he was enjoying the attention.

All in all, it was an adorable show to watch. It was as if her heart were living outside her chest and was all curled up on a sectional sofa. Her family meant everything to her and everytime that Jensen’s eyes met hers she could tell that it meant everything to him as well.

Quinn wished that she could stay in the moment but she was getting annoyed at her phone. Well more accurately, she was getting annoyed with her agent, Charlie.

She was one more fake 911 text away from powering down her phone and chucking it across the room. Charlie was known for stretching the definition of an “emergency” and Quinn wanted to spend every second she could with her family before Jensen left.

“Who is it, babe?” Jensen caught on after her fourth unanswered text. “Just go and answer whoever it is. We’ll have a chance to hang out after the man cubs go to bed.”

“Charlie just wants go over some of his plans for our meeting on Monday. It can wait.”

“You know he’s not gunna stop, Q. He’s got Clay breathing down his neck to get you out of that contract, just humor him. I had my strategic briefing now you go and have yours, hot shot.”

Quinn reluctantly agreed and kissed the top of his head after promising to be back in a flash.

She had every intention on keeping her word but, little did she know, a forty five long minutes would passed before she got to stuff her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and head back out into the living room.

Quinn knew that Charlie’s heart was in the right place, but she couldn’t wait to get off the phone and had almost hung up on him three different times.

Yes, the meeting that her old friend had painstakingly set up for her was important and she was grateful that he was in her corner. But Quinn’s primary focus would always be her family and, as much as she tried to downplay it's importance, any time spent together before a mission was was sacred and took precedence over everything else.

But she had to admit, getting her out of her book deal was one of those rare times when work and family life merged together, but not in a good way.

She couldn’t stay mad at him. Charlie was not only one of her oldest friends but was also one of the best literary agents in the business. If anyone could get her out of working for her ex-mother-in-law, it would be him. So she knew that she complaining about his enthusiasm wasn’t fair.

After New York, Charlie had made it his mission to get her out of her book deal and away from her ex-husband’s family business. He was in that hotel hallway along with her and Clay and had witnessed first hand Wade Travis putting his hands on her at Catherine’s request. Charlie couldn’t do anything to help her then, and no matter how many time she told him that it was unnecessary, he was still trying to make it up to her.

Charlie had always been a great friend to her, but when she tells him, _“Jensen is leaving for work, I can’t talk long.”_ Charlie hears something completely different.

Even though Charlie loved her dearly, but there was no way for him to fully understand what it was like for her when Jensen was on a mission. The stakes for her and her family were so high, whereas, his idea of a business trip was staying at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles then catching the red eye back to a husband and baby girl before they had barely had time to miss him.

Quinn made her way down the hallway, expecting to hear Jensen and the boys rough housing and messing around where she had left them before she took her business call, but the house seemed eerily quiet.

It wasn’t until she stepped into the living room that she was made aware of what her three favourite people had been up to while she had been in the bedroom on the phone.

Jensen and the boys had made great use of their time together and had built a huge pillow fort in the middle of the room. It wasn’t the first time that she had been surprised by such a monstrosity. The morning after their first date Quinn had encountered something very similar, but after about a year of practice, Jensen and the boys had perfected the art of fort building.

This one was amazingly tall and didn’t look like one false move would have it falling down on top of your head. She could also make out, what must have been, her set of flameless candles glowing from behind the sheets.

She was impressed, and hoped that there was room for her in there as well, but judging by the size of it, she assumed that adding one more...or even, five more adults, wouldn’t be a problem.

But before she tried to find the “door” to let herself in she took a moment to admire their handy work and take a mental picture of it. These were the kind of memories that were important to her and that she never wanted to lose sight of.

Jensen was the best dad, and because of him and playfully nature, Quinn was confident that together they were giving Cooper and Jackson the kind of childhood that she had always wanted them to have. She was looking at the proof right before her eyes.

They were all in a good place now. Jensen was all moved in and the future look so hopeful. She chose to focus on those feelings instead of the dread of Jensen’s upcoming absence.

Her heart swelled with love and pride as she carefully wiped away her happy tears, but before she could compose herself she felt her phone go off again in her back pocket.

She swore if it was Charlie, again, she was going to scream.

 **Jensen:** What are you waiting for Qball? Get in the here!

Quinn tried not to laugh. They both knew that only thing that separated them was maybe three feet and a thin blanket, yet Jensen still texted her like the cute dork that he was. She could actually make out the glow of his phone and decided to play along.

 **Quinn:** No way dude!! Three boys + an enclosed fort. I can only imagine how fart-tastic it smells in there! LOL

Quinn could hear Jensen giggling from inside the pillow fort and smiled big and bit her bottom lip. Messing with Jensen was always so much fun,

 **Jensen:** Man up woman and GET IN THE FORT!

 **Quinn:** No way stinky! I'd need your gas mask!

 **Jensen:** Come on! We made it for you mama bear. It’s comfy and fart free in here, I promise. Well Duke and Daisy are in here too, so no promises on how long that’s gunna last! LOL

 **Quinn:** Is there even room in there for me?

 **Jensen:** This is a goddamn palace! There’s TONS of room up in this bitch.

“But still I’d rather have you sitting on my lap, babe. Clothing optional of course.” Jensen softly called out from inside the pillow fort and added a wolf whistle to make his intentions known.

 _“Baby!”_ she quickly admonished with laughter in her voice.

Quinn assumed that Cooper and Jackson were hiding out in the fort with their dad, and they didn’t need to overhear their parents flirting with each other. But as she pulled back the curtain Jensen’s smiling face was the only one she saw.

“The boys went down ten minutes ago. I skipped their bath ‘cause they looked pretty beat.”

“They’ve been outside all day, it must have worn them out.” Quinn explained as she crawled on her hands and knees towards Jensen and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “The candles were a nice touch, Romeo.”

“Well, Coop thought a campfire would be cool, but these were an option that Smokey the Bear and the fire department would approve of.” he chuckled and pulled her back towards him for another kiss.

Jensen looked so cute laying on his side and resting on his elbow. The light from the flameless candles flickered against his content face and he couldn’t have looked hotter if he tried.

She was really going to miss him when he left. It was times like this when she almost wished that she didn’t love him as much as she did. It would make him leaving a lot less painful.

“Good call, papa bear. This is pretty comfy, I’m impressed. Do you want some wine? I really could dive into a bottle after that call.”

“I can’t. I’m kinda on duty till we ship out. But you go ahead.”

“Naw, that’s okay.”

“Dude, don’t be like that. Drink up.” Jensen shook his head and crawled out of the fort and jogged into the kitchen and poured her a rather large glass of her favourite wine.

“The Petunia win notwithstanding, today’s been a shit day.” he called out from the kitchen and snuck another piece of banana bread. “You earned it, Qball.” he mumbled with his mouth full.

He was about to head back, but grabbed the bottle and brought it with him. Even if he couldn’t drink he still wanted her to have a good night.

Jensen left the bottle just out the entrance of the fort and handed her her glass before trying to crawl back to where he had been laying. Quinn thanked him and raised her glass in his direction and toasted to the Petunias and took a big sip.

What a day. Between him confessing to her what abusive assholes his parents had been and dealing with his ex girlfriend, Jensen was right, she did deserved it.

“Here, I almost forgot.” Jensen reached into the back pocket of his jeans and handed her a package of Twizzlers. “Clay bought these for you when he was loading Coop up with sugar.”

“Score! I think he felt bad for taking you away from me.” she chuckled as she torn open the package with her teeth and shared her candy with him. “Bribing me with candy is always a good call.”

“The Colonel is such a softy with you.” Jensen laughed. “It’s like some bizarre Twilight Zone kinda shit.”

Quinn giggled and agreed as cuddled up next to him. Jensen took her glass and took a small sip and hummed in delight. Quinn always had great taste in wine and one sip wasn’t the end of the world.

“Everything copacetic with Charlie?” Jensen asked as he started to play with her hair.

“Yup. Monday is the big day.” she sighed. “Robin is going to stay with the kids while I dance like a trained monkey.”

“I’m sure it’s not gunna be _thaaat_ bad.”

“Probably not. But I just have to keep telling myself that it’ll be fine either way. If they want to buy out my contract then that would be awesome. But if they take a pass...well, then I’ll just hold my nose and complete my commitments, asap, and then run screaming for the hills.”

“Good, ‘cause if you quit and gave up writing I’d be so fucking pissed. I’m not gunna let those people take a single thing away from you, or away from us. You love writing.”

Quinn smiled and took another big sip of her wine and kissed Jensen’s chest over his t shirt. She loved how supportive he was of her and her career and always tried her best to be supportive of his as well.

“Charlie is trying to sell me to publishing houses as a _‘good long term option.’_  " she explained in her best Charlie voice. "Scoop me up now, and I’ll make them a lot of money in the future. He is even shopping my work around in LA to get film developers interested in the movie rights. He thinks that if my profile is a little bigger it’ll make me more valuable to publishing houses, long term. It’s actually looking pretty promising.”

“No shit.” he chuckled. “A movie? How cool would that be, huh?”

“I hated the idea at first, but now that it might happen I’m totally stoked. Could you imagine taking the boys to see a movie about their dogs? Wild, right?”

They both looked down at the sleeping boston terrier and french bulldog in the corner of the fort. Quinn’s new children’s book had starred their two little fur-babies and was still going strong on various best seller lists.

Interest in her children’s books only grew after she was ambushed during her live on TV interview at the end of her book tour. So it made sense to Charlie to try and make her more of a household name and strike while the iron was hot.

Catherine, her ex-mother-in-law, had wanted to throw her weight around and had bribed her interviewer to try and smear her name on morning TV and make her and Jensen look like an unfit parents in front of the whole world. But Quinn thought on her feet and managed to effectively stand up for herself.

In the process, Quinn had inadvertently also stood up for single working mothers, and blended and military families. She had suspected that her increased book sales were a reflection of the media attention that she had received after the fallout. So much for trying to lay low.

All in all, Catherines plan had blown up in her face and had only ended up boosting Quinn’s career. But at the moment, any success that befell Quinn would also benefit Catherine since Catherine now owned the publishing house that held Quinn’s contract. But, Quinn had to admit, seeing her work on the big screen would be pretty cool.

“Ya hear that, you stinky little fart machines!” Jensen laughed. “You’re gunna be famous, ya mutts!”

Duke, their boston terrier, perked up after hearing his dad’s happy voice and got up to lick his face before curling up next to Quinn.

Jensen sighed as he watched Quinn coo over his dog and reminisced on how Cooper and Jackson had roped him into puppy shopping with them when they first moved in.

Looking back, there was a very good chance that the two little boys were trying to play matchmaker for their mom and the funny, spiky haired next door neighbour that helped them move in seemed like a great choice to the five and four years olds.

Quinn had promised them a dog once they were settled in, and Jensen had such a huge crush on her that he jumped at the chance to spend the afternoon with her and the boys. Even then, there wasn’t much that he wouldn’t do to impress her and those kids had him wrapped around their little fingers. Little did he know how true that would be when they managed to convince him to adopt a puppy of his own.

Smart kids, since in the end, they doubling their pets in one fail swoop when Jensen and Quinn started dating. Jensen watched Quinn rub Duke’s belly and felt bad that he wasn’t going to be there when she had her big meeting. She was always supporting the people in their lives, she deserved a cheerleader of her own.

“I wish I was going to be there for you, babe.” Jensen sighed. “But you’re gunna rock it though. Take it from me, you’re definitely _‘long term material.’”_

“Am I now.” she dryly teased, knowing what he was implying.

Jensen’s face dropped and became more serious as took her left hand and started playing with her fingers.

“What does a guy gotta do, huh?” he whispered before he kissed her ring finger.

Quinn was caught off guard and she stopped breathing. Maybe that conversation about their future was going to happen soon then she thought.

“What kinda guy gets to put a big shiny rock on your finger, Q?”

“What kinda guy? I dunno, babe. You know I’m not one for big shiny rocks, anyway.” She sighed and found a place to put down her wine glass then nuzzled her cheek back into his chest. Duke sensed that he was about to get ignored and rejoined Daisy in the corner.

“But if you’re asking what kind of guy I wanna spend my life with? Just a sweet guy with a good heart and that loves Cooper and Jackson to pieces.”

She hoped that she could let him know that not marrying him was about her own fears and not because he wasn’t the right guy for her.

“But if we're getting specific. I’m a sucker for a hot guy that pours me wine and brings me candy. I love guys that are patient and kind and funny enough to make me pee my pants laughing. Maybe a guy that is sexy as hell and my best friend….but seriously, spiky blonde hair, a goatee, and round Lennon glass are must, though, turns me on every single time. Oh, and having someone fix my laptop always gets me wet. Do you know anyone like that?" she teased. "Perfect guys like that don’t just grow on trees. Do you think you could to set me up?”

Jensen puffed out a laugh and it made her bounce a little on his chest.

“There’s no test, Jensen, and if there was one you would’ve passed it a long time ago. I’m crazy about you.”

“But you’re still not ready to marry me, are you?”

Quinn didn’t want to lie to him to spare his feelings. Especially about something so serious. But she knew that her answer wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“No. You’re right. I’m not ready to get married again.” she explained slowly.“But it’s not because I don’t love you. And it’s not because I don’t want to spend my whole life with you. I married Ryan because I felt I had to in order to have the ‘perfect family’ and it blew up in my face. But now that I actually have the perfect family...I’m not ready to risk it. Looking back, my last wedding was the beginning of the end, you know? ”

Quinn peeked up from his chest to try and gauge his reaction but he was staring at the roof of the pillow fort lost in his thoughts. “But, Jake, I know that we are different. I’m a lot closer to being ready than I ever have been before.”

“Did I ever tell you about the time that we found a secret waterfall in Columbia?”

Jensen still wasn’t looking at her, and the fact that he had changed the subject so quickly made Quinn's heart sink. She hated hurting him.

“We had been in the jungle for about five days and we had the whole area completely mapped out. We had these super detailed topographical maps and locals had helped us by filling in any places that weren’t officially charted. Like seriously, the intel we had was overkill and completely stellar.”

Quinn wasn’t sure where he was going with this and started to worry about him. He had to leave in a few hours and she didn’t want their time together to be ruined. The romantic pillow fort that he had made was starting to feel claustrophobic, but she rested her cheek on his chest and let him say what he needed to say.

“After about the fourth day we were so fucking tired. Like the kind of exhaustion where you start hallucinating. It’s crazy, you really start to see shit after a while. Like faces in the jungle that you know aren’t really there, but you can really see them with your eyes. It’s trippy. But your body just keeps on going, you push yourself to the brink.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Not really, cause you’re used to it. It becomes normal, you don’t realize how badly you’re suffering. You just go into survival mode and you do what it takes to finish the mission.”

“I don’t know if I like this story.”

Jensen comforted her by wrapping his arms around her and smoothing out her hair while he finished his story.

“But this waterfall wasn’t supposed to be there. It wasn’t on any map or chart and the locals had told us every single landmark for miles. But it was there and I wasn’t hallucinating. Good thing too, because we were in trouble and our supplies were running low. We had to abandon the last of our water the day before.”

Quinn hugged him tighter and silently hoped that he would never have to go through anything like that again. She hated how dangerous his job could be.

“I remember, right before we found it, being so hot and sticky and every step was getting harder and harder to take. The air was so thick and humid, it was getting really hard to breath. I was really starting to drag my ass. But then Cougar cleared this brush, and we were suddenly standing at the foot of this gigantic unmapped waterfall.”

“Wow.”

“I’m tellin’ ya, it was huge! But the best part was, I only had to take about two steps towards it to have the air change and my lungs started to work properly again. We got a chance to filled our canteens and we were even able to cover the area so we could rest for a minute and start to feel whole again.”

“So it sorta saved you guys then, huh?”

“It sure as fuck did. But the crazy part was, it wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place." he explained with awe in his voice. "That waterfall really stuck with me though. The beauty of it felt like it had punched me in the gut, I just stood there staring at it and Pooch had to bring me some water before I passed out.”

Jensen kissed the top of her head and Quinn could feel him start to tense up with emotion.

“That’s the same way that I feel about you, Quinn. I had no idea that I was in such bad shape, and then I met you out of the blue. You changed the air and helped me breathe again. You’re my waterfall.”

“Jake.” Quinn sat up slowly and gently kissed his lips. Every single one of his words touch her heart and she tried to blink away her tears. “I don’t deserve you. I’m so sorry.”

“Whoa whoa. That’s what you took from all of that.” Jensen brushed her hair away from her face and tried to get her to smile because she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Never in a million years did he think that telling her about that waterfall would hurt her. He just wanted her to know how much she meant to him and how she had unexpectedly changed his life.

“We can get married if you want, it doesn’t matter.” she blurted out. “I love you. I’ll put on the dress and say the words. I can suck it up, if it means so much to you.”

“Dude, no.” Jensen sat up and took another drink of her wine. This was going off the rails pretty damn quick.

Quinn tried to hide from him that her hands were shaking, but Jensen held them both and took turns kissing the tops of them. Getting married freaked her out, he knew he shouldn't've brought it up. He hated seeing her like this.

“You’ve been so incredibly patient with me, Jake. I don’t deserve it. You wanted to move in and be the boy’s dad from the beginning, but I kept holding back, you-”

“Stop it. Just stop it, okay.” Jensen snapped and cut her off. “Stop acting like I deserve some kind of medal for not forcing myself on you.” Jensen pulled her towards him so that she was sitting between his legs with her back against his chest. She was shaking and he felt terrible.

“So, you didn’t want to move in with a guy that you had only dated for a few months.” he explained with his chin on the back on her shoulder. “Some would call that being a smarty pants. What was I gunna do? Force you? Manipulate you to get what I wanted? Fuck that, we’ve both had our share of that bullshit. We don’t do that to each other, it’s not our style. I love you, and want you love me back, but, in a real way without me twisting your arm.”

“I do love you.” Quinn suddenly felt cold and took his arms and wrapped them around her as if he was her own personal blanket. “We’re rockhoppers, remember?”

“Fuck yeah, we are!” Jensen chuckled. “Look, you waited till we were together for almost a year before you gave me the green light to move in. And to tell you the truth, that was probably the better call to make, mama bear. I just didn’t want to hear it, at the time.”

“You wanted to move in, for so long, and I hated saying no to you.” she explained. She was trying so hard not to cry and hated how whiny her voice sounded. “You give so much of yourself to me and to the boys. A wedding is something that I can give you. I feel like I’m already your wife, anyway.”

“Qball.” Jensen sighed and kissed the back of her head.

It was taking all of his self control not to take her up on her offer and run out and buy a ring and propose to her before he left. But this wasn’t the way that he wanted it to happen. She was still so scared and was shaking in his arms. Not exactly the fairytale that he had fantasized about.

“You’re not ready to get married yet, just talking about it freaks you out. Do you think it’s gunna be cool for me to see you all dolled up and walking down the aisle while you're having a fucking panic attack?”

“But you give so much…” Quinn bit her bottom lip to try and to stop it from quivering. She hated feeling so weak. She could feel the heat of Jensen’s body against hers, but she couldn’t seem to get warm herself.

“And what? You think that you just sit on your ass and give me nothing back to me? Dude, I got two of the coolest kids in the world sleeping in their camouflaged pj’s right now.” He motioned over his shoulder in the direction of the boy’s room.

“They look up to me. Do you have any idea how cool that is? Do you have any idea how much that means to me? Stop acting like I’m doing you some kind of a favour by loving them. I’m good to them because they’re my kids. Raising them is hard sometimes, but it’s not work to me. I’m their dad… and that never would’ve happened if you didn’t trust me and let it happen.”

Quinn played with his fingers and bent her chin down to kiss his arm as she listened to him.

“Believe me, it’s the other way around, Qball. You give...you give me so much, and waiting for you to be ready isn’t some kind of annoying chore, either. When you’re on board it makes things _soooo_ much better. I don’t have to doubt whether or not I’m actually making you happy and I love that.”

Quinn let Jensen words dance around her head for a moment and he took the opportunity to brush her hair off the to side and kiss her softly behind her ear.

“Be okay, Quinn.” Jensen whispered. “Please. I can’t leave if you’re upset. I want to marry you, but I can wait till it’s what you want, please believe me, okay. I just get impatient like a little kid sometimes because I just love the shit outta you and want to call you my wifey.”

Quinn puffed out a little laugh and brought her hand up around her and played with the soft hairs on the back of neck.

“I don’t know what my problem is, baby. I’m already your wifey.” she confessed. “I’m just so scared of wrecking us. What if I’m never ready? Or worse, what if I’m ready when we’re eighty?”

“First. Nothing's gunna wreck us.” He smiled against her neck and rocked them back and forth. “Second. If I get to marry you, without you feeling like you have a gun pointed to your head, then I’ll pop in my dentures and get my old wrinkly ass into a tux and drive my scooter down to the justice of the peace as fast as my arthritic bones will take me.”

Quinn couldn’t stop giggling at him and he started to poke and tickle her sides in the hopes of hearing more of her laughter.

Tickling lead to play fighting and play fighting, lead the fort falling over and him eventually letting her win. Quinn was obnoxiously celebrating her victory as she straddled and sat on top of him in the middle of, what was once, their impressive pillow fort.

“You got me, you got, Qball. You’re a deadly badass. Destroyer of pillow forts. Men quake in your presence.”

“And don’t you forget it, big guy!” She laughed as she placed her hands on the floor of either side of his head and leaned down to give him a quick kiss. “You quakin’ yet?”

“Gettin’ there.” he smirked as he buckled his hips up to make her jump. “Shit, dude. Did you disinfect your arm?”

Jensen had caught a glimpse of the ugly scratches that his crazy ex girlfriend, Amanda, had left on Quinn’s wrist earlier that day. They were red and puffy and made his heart drop. Jensen had seen injuries far worse in his day, but seeing Quinn or the boys hurt, even superficially, bothered him more than a gunshot wound.

“Yeah, I did.” Quinn took a better look at her arm. She was in no pain, but was still annoyed that she was almost in a fist fight at children’s soccer game in the first place.

“It feels fine. I think it just looks so gnarly because I’m so pale. Maybe when you get back we could take Charlie and Zac up on their offer and steal their beach house for a few days? Maybe getting a nice tan will help.”

“Nice deflection.” Jensen was not distracted by Quinn’s holiday plans and held her arm up to the light to take a better look at it. He had to leave in a few hours and hated the idea of leaving her hurt.

Well, in all honesty, he hated the idea of leaving her, period, and was making all kinds of excuses in his head as to why he should stay behind.

“What? Me running around in a little swimsuit all day wasn’t enough to get you to stop hovering like a mother hen?” she teased with a wink.

“Nope.” he chuckled as he pressed his lips to her wrist. “But let’s make that beach house thing happen...I’m only human after all. Maybe we could rent a boat and go fishing?”

“That’s a great idea! Since Charlie and Zac adopted Zoe, they hardly use their Hampton’s house at all. How cool would it be to go on our first family holiday! The boys would have so much fun.” The more Quinn thought about it the more excited she got. “Oh my gosh, Jensen, their house so posh, and it’s right on the water! We’re gunna have so much fun!”

Quinn’s heart swelled as she watched him ignored her and instead lovingly caress her wrist and then work his way up her arm. It was almost as if he was trying to erase what had happened with his tender touch.

“Once we get back, we’re gunna start your training, Quinn.” She started to protest but he cut her off and spoke on top of her. “No excuses. If someone grabs you like that again I want you to know what to do, okay?”

“Trust me, with everything that girl did to you, there was plenty that I wanted to do to her. She was lucky that there were kids everywhere or she wouldn’t have left that field looking very cute. You act like I’ve never thrown a punch before.” she scoffed.

Jensen was amused with her and crossed his arms behind his head and smirked up at her. He didn’t believe her for a second. Quinn was tough, but she wasn’t the type.

“Riiiight. And who exactly are you punching out, Qball?” he challenged. “I hear those yoga classes of yours can get pretty rowdy.”

“Who have I punched out? You have met my brother before, right?”

“Wait! You punched the Colonel?” Jensen shot up and sat up straight but he managed to grab her before she completely fell off of him.

“Only once.” She explained as wrapped her legs around him and started to play with his hair. Hanging out on the floor had never been so much fun.

“I was 13 and he trying to teach me how to _‘hit like a Clay’._..and well… I guess he was such a good teacher that I accidentally I broke his nose.” She pressed her lips together and tried not to laugh at the memory but Jensen’s eyes were twinkling and she couldn’t help but giggle.

Quinn promised to find him the picture that her grandmother had taken of the aftermath of her brother's lesson when she was trying to, unsuccessfully, nurse his bloody wounds. Later, after many apologizes, a trip to the emergency room was very much needed to set Clay's nose.

“But I got into some fights as kid. Who hasn’t?...” she confessed as Jensen started to leave soft kisses along her chin and down her neck. “Kids can be mean and I got my boobs when I was 10 and grew up an army brat. I was always the new kid and, after my parents died, it was easy for kids to pick on the orphan that lived with her grandmother. I was a prime target. Clay wanted me to stand a fighting chance, I guess.”

“And my little badass fucked him up and broke his nose. I love it.” Jensen chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Clay and I are on the same page, though, maybe for the first time ever. Just consider this badass training _‘hitting like a Clay 2.0.’_ ...but man, I’m sure you were down right adorable as a kid. I always pegged you as one of the popular kids that all the boys drooled over and had their first wet dreams about.”

“Gross. But I guess when I got older I was somewhere in the middle. But when it came to boys, Clay was so overprotective. I guess it was easier to ignore me and keep breathing. Self defence training isn’t the worst idea in the world, if you don't go all overkill on me. Believe it or not, I used to have a have a pretty mean right hook.”

“Well shit. Show me your stuff, Killer.”

The two scrambled to get off the ground and Jensen gave Quinn some pointers on her stance and held up two throw pillows for her practice her technique on.

Overall he was very impressed. She was right. Jensen never would have guessed that his sweet dorky children’s book author did indeed have a pretty mean right hook. Training her was going to be easy, if he could get her to take it seriously.

“You’re a natural, babe.” Jensen cheered as she humoured him and punched her fancy throw pillows. “I pity any asshole that gets in your way once we’re done with you.”

“Got any more crazy ex girlfriends headed my way?” she teased. She thought that if her heart was going to be beating so fast in would have been under very different circumstances. When she was with Jensen she very much prefered to naked while she got her cardio workout.

“Nope. Well maybe Casey, but she doesn’t count. She’s crazy, but not like crazy crazy.”

Jensen gave her a few more pointers on how to land her blows more effectively and was getting really turned on by the serious focused look on his little badass’s face.

Quinn barely noticed the dark sexy way that he was looking at her. She was enjoying herself more than she thought she would have. All of the tension of the day seemed to melt away as she channeled her focus into her punches. She started to consider signing up for a kickboxing class to let off some steam.

Jensen couldn’t take it anymore and dropped the pillows and pulled her against him. The color was back in her cheeks and he couldn’t have loved her more. They were having a such a great time, he had almost forgotten that he had to leave in a couple of hours.

Quinn wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest. He smelled so good and his body was so warm and inviting. His hands went inside the back of her shirt and danced across her back and she had never felt more safe in her life.

“Can I tuck you in before I leave?” he darkly whispered above her head.

“Tuck me in? I was hoping that you’d wanna go a few more rounds before you left…clothing optional, of course.” she replied softly and went under the back of his shirt in and mirrored his affection attention.”I promise I won’t break your nose, Captain.”

“I don’t want to just bang you and leave, Quinn. I actually love your punk ass…. _romantically._ ” he added with a chuckle. “It sounds so simple and lame when I say it out loud. I wish there was a bigger word for ‘love.’ But, fuck, I really do love you, Quinn.”

“What we have isn’t simple or lame, baby. You tell me that you love me every single day, and I still get butterflies. It’s plenty big enough... _trust me it's huge!_.” she added with a wink.

Jensen puffed out a laugh and rolled his eyes at her dirty innuendo. He sighed and looked down at her. The ache he felt in his chest was real. Why was he leaving? Standing there with her was exactly where he wanted to be.

Quinn smiled and looked up into his blue eyes and felt a hard lump forming in her throat. Talking about their future that night had meant so much to her. She hadn’t forgotten a single word of what he had confided in her.

“You’re my waterfall, too, Jake. I mean it.” His eyes softened and she quickly kissed the corner of his mouth. “Before I met you, I had no idea how closed off I was. I didn’t even know that I was in bad shape, either...and then meeting you changed my whole world. I wish I knew how to make you feel the way that you make me feel. You deserve to feel cherished and loved.”

Jensen lifted her up by her waist and Quinn wrapped her legs around his narrow waist and hook them behind him. She was impressed that Jensen could still hold her with ease and manage to lean down and pick up her half empty wine bottle.

“You do that every single day, Q.” He whispered against her lips as he carried her down the hall towards their bedroom. “Every. Single. Day. Don’t ever sweat that kinda stuff, okay. You make me feel all of that...I’ve really never felt anything like it before.”

Quinn ran her fingers through his hair as she kissed his lips gently. His words touched heart and she was overwhelmed with the amount of pure raw love that she was feeling. It was powerful and electric. Only Jensen could make her feel that way.

“I want to make you feel all of that right now. Bang me before you leave, baby.” Quinn was done with talking. Instead, she wanted to show him how much she loved him and chose to focus on how lucky they both were. She refused to waste their last few moments together crying and feeling sorry for herself.

Jensen would come back home to her safe, she had to believe that.


End file.
